Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom
by Dilnos521
Summary: About a month after his last adventure, Roland Sage meets Shizuka Hattori, whose assignment is to escort Yoshika to a school in Helvetia. Asked by Yoshika to tag along, will he be able to hide his identity or is it time to show the world (and the Neuroi) that the Neuroi Witch is still alive? And what about his teammates, the ones who know the truth themselves? Rated T for now.
1. A Chance Encounter

**Alright, the wait is over: the next arc in Roland's story is now here. It's time to celebrate!**

**...Or again, whatever it is you do when the next chapter of a series begins.**

**Okay, just a few things to point out: this story is going to be a lot shorter than what I'd usually make it (and I'm talking about the amount of chapters here, not the length of each chapter) because of the length of the movie. However, I am going to try my best to give the movie coverage as much of the **_Strike Heroes_** touch as I can, so I'll be depending on you guys to let me know how I'm doing.**

**Anyways, I'm sure you guys came around to read the first chapter, not hear me chat away...or type away as the case may be, so I present to you this: the first chapter of Project Wings...**_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom!_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter**

_**Since the dawn of time, mankind has always fought against monsters. Those found in the midst of battle are the girls called Witches, gifted with great magical faculties. However, in 1939, an enemy of unprecedented power descended upon Europe. Humanity named them "Neuroi". No one knew where they came from or what they wanted, but the fact remained that cities and entire nations burned in their wake.**_

_**To counter the Neuroi, Man created magical devices that amplified the Witches' powers and made flight possible. These magical devices were called Striker Units, and so powerful Witches from all around the world were dispatched to the front lines in Europe.**_

_**It was around this time that a new legend had started: the legend of a young man, a man who didn't belong in this world.**_

_**Cursed with a Neuroi core fused within him, the man had been through some challenges before being selected to be a member of the prestigious 501st Joint Fighter Wing, more famously known as the "Strike Witches", even being given a prototype Striker Unit to use in battle the day before his arrival. This man had done his job well, protecting his teammates while befriending them and even falling in love with one of them.**_

_**However, there was one event that changed the path he had been travelling...**_

_**In July of 1945, during the execution of Operation Mars, the man, known at this point as the "Neuroi Witch", had been aboard the transformed **__Yamato **when it crashed into the Neuroi hive over Venezia. Using what was left of his strength after sustaining heavy injuries, the Neuroi Witch activated the**_ _Yamato's **cannons and ****destroyed****the hive...only to be captured by the core that had been lying in wait.**_

_**Because of this, the members of the Strike Witches at the time, as well as a friend of his from before his time as a Strike Witch, had executed a plan that ultimately resulted in the man losing his magic as well as the depletion of one of his teammates' when she performed a powerful spell and the natural disappearance of another member's.**_

_**The brass had declared him dead two days after the events, yet he still lived on, having chosen to lead as normal a life as he could in Fuso as he looked for some answers on his own.**_

_**The man of this man, the Neuroi Witch...**_

_**His name was...**_

XXXXXXXXXX

_Heidemarie's POV_

Flying above the clouds in the night sky, I was busy humming a song to myself in order to keep me busy as I had my magical antennae active.

It took me a while before I came to the conclusion that there was nothing interesting to report for the night.

I pulled out a small notebook and a pen, opening the notebook as I started writing in it.

"Nothing to report today either," I said as I wrote down a quick report.

It's been rather...peaceful around here. Ever since the hive over Venezia was destroyed thanks to Pilot Officer Yoshika Miyafuji's efforts and the death of posthumously-promoted Captain Roland Sage, the Neuroi haven't really been too much of an issue around here.

I don't really know why, though.

"My shift's almost over," I added as I put away my writing supplies and looked ahead at the night sky before spinning my body around in a sort of corkscrew before I looked at the moon above. "The moon's so pretty tonight...can't I fly just a little longer?"

Soon, the radio in my left ear buzzed to life, and I stopped paying attention to the moon in order to answer it.

"This is the Saint Trond base," a voice said over the radio. "Squadron Leader Heidemarie, what's your status?"

"Yes..." I said into my radio in reply. "Heidemarie reporting. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Understood. The Neuroi in Karlsland haven't moved for the past month."

"Yes. I wish things would stay this way."

"Yeah...but be careful. The Neuroi act in mysterious ways. Even with the Neuroi Witch gone, the Neuroi can still be dangerous."

Probably one reason why people say that Captain Sage is really dead: the Neuroi seemed to have caught wind of him once the liberation of Gallia occurred. It's unclear if this reason was why they took Venezia close to six months after, but since his death they hadn't been as fierce.

They still destroy ill-prepared infantry forces and ships, but they haven't pulled any daring moves.

Maybe they're trying to be careful until they're certain that the Neuroi Witch was not going to fight back.

Soon, I could hear the signal starting to fill with static, my antennae even flickering on and off.

"Um...Saint Trond base?" I tried as I sought to keep in contact. "Please respond." I soon felt a presence as my antennae flashed red. "Neuroi!" I readied the gun I had been holding on my back, an MG 42, and flicked the safety off. "Warning. Neuroi presence detected. It's..." I looked down slightly and could see a shadow gliding through the clouds under me. "...below me!"

The Neuroi I detected burst through the clouds, and I got a good look at it: it looked a little odd, like it was one of those long collapsible telescopes that had been put away...only wider at the far end.

"How did I not notice it earlier?" I asked myself as I stared at it. The Neuroi was continuing on ahead, so I tailed it as I aimed at it. "Target locked on." It then did something unexpected: it changed its appearance to resemble a missile with a large ring around its shaft, attached by some support beams. This caused me to lose my lock as I was surprised. "It transformed?"

I then watched the Neuroi go through the clouds to hide once more.

"It dropped into the clouds," I noted. "It noticed me!" I then heard some noises behind me, and I looked in that direction. "Behind me?"

The Neuroi fired lasers at me, forcing me to dodge them and fly over it. The Neuroi responded by following my maneuver to keep up, and soon we were right back to where we had started before the maneuver: the Neuroi still on my tail.

"It's fast," I added as I dodged more lasers, using my shields to protect my rear when I could see a laser coming from behind from the corner of my vision. The Neuroi still fired at me as I climbed into the sky. "It's strong. But..." I then fired at it while defending myself and maneuvering to avoid the lasers. It flew up to try tackling me, but I managed to slip past it and opened fire on it, soon finding a core to hit. In response, it fired two lasers that cut through the clouds, but I managed to avoid them as I turned to look at the hole revealing the core, which was closing fast.

"This is the end," I concluded as I fired at the core, destroying it.

The Neuroi stopped giving off its red light before exploding into white crystalline fragments.

I was panting slightly as I flew through the debris carefully before the radio kicked back to life.

"This is Saint Trond base," the voice from before said. "Major Heidemarie, what happened?!"

"I-I encountered a Neuroi," I said with a slight stutter.

"A Neuroi?!" the voice sounded surprised. "Are you in combat?!"

"No, I shot it down already."

The voice sighed. "_Mein Gott..._Give me a full report please. Return to base immediately."

"Roger, Wing Commander Minna." I then flew off back to base.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

"Yoshika-chan, where are you?" Michiko said as she and I were busy inside a forest in Fuso, looking for one Yoshika Miyafuji. She was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt that reminded me of a button-up shirt, a bit like the ones Anna had when we trained with her. She also had a small wicker basket with a strap across her left shoulder and chest, the basket resting on her right side.

"Where could she have gone now?" I asked as I looked around. I was wearing a simple green T-shirt, blue denim jeans, and black tennis shoes. I had a watch on my left wrist, and a brown belt was holding up my pants.

...Let me guess: I need to introduce myself again?

Well...the name's Roland Sage.

Up until about a month ago, I was what people called the "Neuroi Witch", a male Witch who had a Neuroi core fused with his own body.

...Yeah, I said it: I was a magic-user (and male to boot), a rare find. Add in the Neuroi core and I swore that I was one-of-a-kind.

Well, mostly one-of-a-kind...

See, for the last three weeks I had been living as a normal human. No magic at all.

I did have my core still active, but I couldn't do much with Lionelis (I had named him that because it was easier to use a name than to refer to him as, well...you know...) aside from boosting my body performance.

A bit like adrenaline, but I haven't really used it a lot. I think I only used it once, and that was to move a lot of boxes around at the Miyafuji clinic (it was only a small boost according to the core; he did say that if he had added more that there would have been more to it).

Now, about my location while I was in Fuso: I had decided to crash with Yoshika because I had wanted to find a sort of link that told me why her father, Doctor Ichirō Miyafuji, knew about me.

So far, I was as close as I was when I started: not even close.

Ugh...you'd think the man would document something like his research or something. Did he even take notes?

Anyways, enough about my problems for now. I need to find a little Fuso ex-Witch.

"Yoshika!" Michiko tried again as we continued walking. To me, she added, "I hope we find her."

"She's a big girl, you know," I told her quickly. "She took out an entire Neuroi hive with a katana and a spell." I placed my arms behind my head. "A really powerful spell, I might add."

Soon, Michiko stopped as she looked relieved. I stopped, lowered my arms back to my sides, and looked at her before we soon saw a bear with a sort of white, wide V-mark on its chest stand up from a set of nearby bushes.

...Is it just me, or does this bear look _awfully_ familiar?

Michiko's only response was to scream as she took a step back before crashing onto her rear, looking fearful.

Really bad time to not have a sword on hand...

I stepped between Michiko and the bear, arms stretched out.

I know: I'm an idiot if I think that I'm going to actually take a bear claw to the chest, but if the bear does make the first move then at least Michiko won't get hurt.

"Hey, Micchan!" I heard the bear say suddenly.

Wait a second...since when have bears talked? And I'm not counting Yogi Bear, the Country Bears, or any talking cartoon, computer-generated, or animatronic bears from my world into the equation.

"What the hell..." I said slowly as I lowered my arms, ready to put them back up if I needed to. "Yosh?"

Soon, the bear seemed to have gotten onto all four, revealing Yoshika Miyafuji, who was riding on its back. She had the same type of wicker basket as Michiko.

"Hey, Roland-kun," she told me as she patted the bear's back gently. "Come on, you two!"

...Okay, I'm confused: since when did Yoshika learn to let a bear give her a ride? Better still, don't you need a license to be riding a bear like that?

"Huh?" Michiko asked, genuinely confused.

My point exactly, Michiko...

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is the bear cub you saved back in spring, right?" Michiko asked as she and Yoshika were riding on the bear. Since the thing was walking at a normal pace, I was able to walk alongside it.

"Yeah," Yoshika replied. "He sure grew up fast, didn't he?"

"I'd say," I added as we travelled. "I really don't know when bears reach this size, but that was about four months ago, right?" Since I arrived in Fuso, I had been informed by Yoshika about the general timeline of our trip (I didn't really know at the time: I wasn't paying attention to the days very much, and I had the Neuroi to worry about as well).

"_Hai_," Yoshika smiled slightly.

"Yoshika, how's your studying going?" Michiko asked now. "You applied to Teito Girls' Medical School, right?"

I think she did. Yoshika did bring it up once, but the name eluded me until Michiko mentioned it.

I watched as Yoshika frowned and said, "It's not going so well."

"Well, you had to fight the Neuroi the entire time. You and Roland-san."

Yeah, we did... "I'll have to make up for all I missed before next year's entrance exams. I'll become a great doctor, whatever it takes! Plus, I also have Roland-kun's help for studying."

Soon, another bear that resembled the bear with us walked out of the bushes ahead, and the girls were surprised.

"Is that his mommy?" Michiko asked.

Yeah...I think it is...hope she doesn't hold a grudge against me for what happened when I came here last time.

Yoshika leaned to the bear cub's left ear and said, "Thanks. We'll be fine from here. We've got Roland-kun to escort us."

Soon, the mother approached us and, as the girls got off their "steed", came up to me, taking a few quick sniffs.

This...is...awkward...I never actually had a bear sniff me before. Better stay still lest she tries striking me down.

The mother gave off a grunt as she seemed to nod her head, like she knew who I was: the guy who got between her and her cub to protect Yoshika. She then nodded her head to the left to signal the cub to follow her, and soon they were walking away, Yoshika saying good-bye to them.

"Oh, right, herbs!" Michiko said quickly as she remembered something important. "I've found some hypericum for you!"

...Don't ask me what hypericum was. Do I look like a botanist?

Yoshika gasped and replied with, "That stuff works wonders on bruises and small cuts!"

"Bruises and small cuts?" I asked. Bear Grylls I ain't right now...

To her cousin, Yoshika added, "Where is it?"

Soon, we could hear something yapping, and when we ran to look at the nearby river (where the noise was coming from) we saw a puppy laying down on its chest. The puppy itself was on a rock that was poking out of the rapids (at least I assume it was rapids we were looking at).

"Oh crap," I said as we stopped a certain distance from the river. "How did it get there on its own?"

Without replying to me, Yoshika ran ahead as she hopped down a few rocky steps and reached the river shore.

"Hang on a second," I added as I followed suit. I wasn't going to just let Yoshika do this on her own. Not after Venezia.

"Be careful, you two!" Michiko called out after us.

Yoshika took off her accessory and started jumping across the rocks between the shore and the dog. I waited a second before following her lead in order to make sure I didn't shove her off. Soon, Yoshika reached the rock next to the dog's and, crouching down, opened her arms to greet it.

"Come here," the little Fuso ex-Witch said as the dog hopped into her arms happily. "Everything's okay now!"

Turning around, Yoshika made to hop onto the rock that would take her back to the shore...but when she landed, she didn't catch the flat surface. As a result, she fell backward into the river, dog and all.

"Yoshika!" Michiko and I shouted as we soon watched said girl break the surface, the dog looking soaked.

I could only think of one thing I could do at the moment: I really hated to do it, but...

I dived in after her, using a dive-block start I learned while swimming to enter the water and avoid the brunt of the damages. I then used a freestyle stroke to swim to the duo, making sure to keep my head out of the water to see as clearly as I could muster with the water around me.

"Yoshika!" I said as while fighting the splashing water trying to stop me from talking. "Hang on!"

There was a log that was ahead of our watery path, and I watched as Yoshika tried using breaststroke to reach it. However, the current was going too fast for her to fight through it.

I would have used the log myself to rest, but I needed to reach Yoshika before something happened.

Soon, I could hear the sound of water falling over a cliff. Looking ahead of Yoshika, I could see the top of a waterfall coming up to greet us.

...There's a waterfall here?

...

...

_**Don't tell**** us,**_ Lionelis said quickly. _**We're about to go over a huge waterfall.**_

_Yep,_ I replied neutrally. Why is he going through my memories to quote something right now?

_**Sharp rocks at the bottom?**_

_Most likely._

**_Bring it on...not..._**

I really hope you don't want to experience falling over a waterfall because if you do then I'm more than happy to oblige.

Soon, I saw Yoshika catch a branch from a log that had gotten jammed between two rocks, using it to hold her position while cradling the rescued dog.

Thank God she didn't fall over...

So why is it I'm careening right for her?

I turned around and tried swimming against the current, but I was too tired from trying to catch up to Yoshika.

I am such an idiot...

_SMACK!_

I slammed into the branch, making it break. Because Yoshika had been using it to hold on to, she received my full weight as a projectile.

"Sorry!" I shouted to the two victims of my collision as we soon went over the waterfall, my life soon flashing right before my eyes.

...You know, why is it that when you're about to die your life does that as a sort of montage? Is it your way of going over your decisions up to that point, or is it just one of those things we just can't explain?

Anyways, since I don't want to look through my life right now, let me try seeing if I can find some sort of solution to us falling.

I closed my left eye to keep the memories going as my right eye examined the area around us.

There's Yoshika, the dog, the water falling around us, the water down below coming up to greet us, the branch Yoshika was still holding, some Witch soaring right for us-

Wait, a Witch?

The Witch came in and caught us, stopping our fall as she flew us back over the river that we had fallen out of. I looked at Yoshika, who had the Witch's left arm holding her up as the little Fuso ex-Witch was hugging on to the puppy.

I can only assume that the Witch's right arm was around me.

Anyways, I watched Yoshika open her eyes (I guessed she closed them in anticipation of pain or death) and look down at the water below us.

"Huh?" she asked as she looked at me. "We're flying?"

"Saving that dog from drowning was very noble of you," the Witch said as she brought us in for a landing, "but you ought to consider your own swimming abilities first. As for you, mister...you need to go on a diet or something."

...I am not fat! I just happen to work out a little too much.

"I'm sorry," Yoshika said as the Witch placed us on the ground. We soon turned to face the Witch who had saved us.

"As long as you understand," the Witch continued.

"Thank you!" Yoshika bowed, the puppy giving off a grateful yap.

Looking at me now, the Witch added, "You nearly caused the death of someone, mister. You better be glad that I came when I did."

I frowned as I looked at her.

"Yeah," I said slowly, "Thanks for telling me what I already know..."

"I'm so glad you're alright," Yoshika told the puppy.

Soon, we could hear Michiko's voice as she called out, "Yoshika! Roland-san!"

"Micchan!" Yoshika turned to look at her cousin as she came down to catch up to us.

"Yoshika?" the Witch asked in surprise. "Could it be that you're Pilot Officer Yoshika Miyafuji?"

Raising an eyebrow, I turned to look at the Witch as the girls did the same (without the raised eyebrow).

"Yeah, she is," I said quickly. "Don't tell me you didn't know what she looked like..."

"How do you know my name?" Yoshika asked, confused.

The Witch suddenly tensed up and made herself upright as she said, "F-Forgive my impertinence! I am Shizuka Hattori, first year at the Fuso Naval Academy! You've always been a role model for me, Officer!"

Where to start first on describing her to my best abilities? Other than the fact that she was similar to Mio…seriously, she reminds me of Mio. Just put on the eye patch and voila. Anyways, what she was wearing was a black military jacket, and as for her legs it was rather hard to tell with a Striker Unit covering them. Her black hair had three parts to it: two sets of hair had diverged from the rest and were at the sides of her head. The third part was in a sort of pony tail in the back.

"You saved the carrier _Akagi_ on your maiden flight!" Shizuka continued as I noticed her Striker Unit activated and revving up still. "You fought alongside the greatest aces in the Five Hundred and First Joint Fighter Wing and saved not only Gallia but Venezia too! And you even flew with the Neuroi Witch himself. That's amazing!"

...Strange...usually when people used my title they at least say who owned it nearby.

When I looked at Yoshika and Michiko, the little Fuso ex-Witch looked a little startled.

"Oh, really?" she asked, curious.

"Squadron Leader Sakamoto often told stories of your heroic deeds in Europe. And some funny stories about the Neuroi Witch as well."

At least Mio's informing her students-wait, what stories?

"Stories?" I asked, now baffled.

Shizuka shot me a glance as she said, "Sorry, but who are you?"

Oh, _now_ she chooses to ask for my name? "Roland Sage, ma'am." I gave off a quick salute.

Shizuka looked at me carefully. "You share the same name as the Neuroi Witch..." the Witch then shook her head. "Oh well, people do share names around the world."

...

I can't believe that I'm not the only one who realizes that it's possible for two people to share the same first and last name.

Also, I really don't think she knows what I look like...

I mean, come on: When I met Adolfine and Ursula for the first time they took me as being part of the maintenance crew before they at least knew who I was (after they had been corrected by myself or Minna).

At least I'm not in the military currently.

"Anyways," Shizuka continued as she looked back at Yoshika. "I brought with me an official visa for you to study abroad in Europe."

I raised an eyebrow yet again.

Visa? Official?

..._Europe?!_

"Official visa?" I tried.

"Europe?" Michiko asked.

"Study abroad?" Yoshika added.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yoshika had evidently brought Shizuka back to the clinic so that the Witch could speak with her mom and grandmother. The other adults had asked me to sit with the three of them as they discussed Shizuka's proposal.

Not too sure why I needed to: I'm not exactly her father...but I am one of Yoshika's closer friends. Also, I fought to protect her and the others during my time in the Strike Witches.

Besides, I really doubt Lynette can get over here in three hours from...wherever she was at currently (I think she said something about Gallia the last time she sent me a letter via Yoshika's address).

"I see," Yoshika's grandmother said once Shizuka explained to us the plan in more detail. "So Yoshika's going to study at a European medical school?"

"Yes," Shizuka replied. "I've been appointed to take her there."

"What do you say, Yoshika?" Yoshika's mom asked the little Fuso ex-Witch as she was crawling out of the room she and Michiko had gone into, which was nearby.

Yoshika was evidently unsure about the idea...I think.

"Why Europe?" I asked for her. "She could head to any school in the world if all she needs is a visa. Hell, she could even go to Liberion for it. Why there?"

"The Helvetian Medical School's new term starts next month," Shizuka explained to us. "When they heard she wanted to become a doctor, they decided to invite her."

...That's their only reason? Hearing that she wanted to be a doctor?

Michiko gave off a quick gasp of excitement as she said, "Yoshika, there's no better place than Helvetia if you want to become a doctor!"

...Wait, what? Why does it sound like Helvetia is the Harvard of Europe based on my knowledge of the world map?

"Really?" Yoshika asked, surprised.

"Yes," Shizuka continued. "It's one of the three great medical schools of Europe."

It took only a brief second for Yoshika to make her decision: "I'll go, then."

"Are you sure you don't want to think about it some more?" Yoshika's mom asked her daughter.

"Europe is a rather big place," I added. "You barely scratched the surface heading to Britannia and Romagna."

"It's fine!" Yoshika told us. "I wanna study in a top medical school!"

"Very well," her grandmother replied. "Then go. Study hard and learn all there is to know about the newest Western medicine."

"Okay, I promise!" Yoshika then blinked as she thought of something. "Um...can Roland-kun come along?"

We all looked at the little Fuso ex-Witch.

"Yosh?" I asked carefully. "Why do you want me to come with you to Helvetia, wherever that is?"

"Well..." Yoshika started nervously. "I thought that I'd feel a little more comfortable if someone I knew at least came along with me. You know, to help ease me into life abroad."

...I think you have an unspoken reason, and I think we both know what it is: with the Neuroi still in Europe, there's no telling what will happen along the way.

But we need our magic if we're going to do anything to help out in a fight. According to Lionelis, I may never be able to fly again even if my reserves filled up completely. And Yoshika doesn't seem like she's regaining her magic anytime soon, not even a little.

"Do you mind if I tag along, ma'am?" I asked Shizuka.

"I'm not sure," the Witch told me. "I was only asked to bring Yoshika. Bringing you along would be a bad idea."

"Well, I have a few friends in Belgica right now, so I can get a ride over there once Yoshika makes it to the school. All I need is transportation to Europe."

Shizuka seemed to have given it some thought before she said, "I guess you can come along. But you're not my responsibility; you're just a civilian, understand?"

I raised an eyebrow.

What rank is she anyways? Something tells me that if I actually told her mine that she's respect my rank.

...But I need her to respect me as a person, not as a superior officer. Besides, it's probably easier to avoid giving hints about my true identity as long as I can, even if I have to pretend to have been of a lower rank than her.

"Understood," I replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later at night, the feeling of everything wrong going to happen crept into my mind.

I have no idea why, but ever since I had gotten back from Romagna I'd been worrying a lot at night. I barely get enough sleep to wake up not cranky, and it's not because of the floor (I've gotten used to it).

It feels like something else...

Guilt?

Guilt about what?

About leaving Minna behind when we had just started being a couple, which we both wanted to happen (I think)?

About not being able to protect Yoshika and the girls properly?

...About lying to someone to try preserving my identity?

"Roland-kun?" I heard Yoshika ask as I turned my head to see her standing in the doorway of her old room, dressed in her usual sleepwear, simply a white nightshirt that seemed to go down to about halfway down her thighs. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" I replied as I looked at her. "Nothing. Just trying to think, that's all."

"About Commander Minna?"

I averted my gaze by turning my head away as I heard the little Fuso ex-Witch walk over to my side and get onto her knees. "...Yeah, a bit..."

"We all know that you made the choice that you thought was best. Hiding your true identity, even if to protect us, was the best thing you saw. But it's okay..." I felt her right hand rest on my left cheek as she rotated my head to face her, rubbing some of the facial hair I had been growing (in the past month I had grown facial hair around my jaw and a mustache) gently. "I'm sure Commander Minna will forgive you."

"But...what if she doesn't, Yosh? We were barely a couple for a week at the time, and I nearly died in front of her. Why do I deserve her if I can't even keep myself safe?"

"You chose to fire the cannons on the _Yamato_. Had you not chosen to, Sakamoto was going to do it instead. Because of you...she didn't suffer your fate."

"But is that the truth?" I looked at Yoshika completely, who now looked confused. "Face it, Yosh: ever since I got involved, some of the key decisions were made by me. Going to the Neuroi nest in Britannia? My choice. Rejoining the Strike Witches? My choice. Nearly dying just to finish a mission? My choice." I then sighed. "I'm just scared for you all...why is it I'm so afraid of watching you girls fail?" I closed my eyes and felt Yoshika give me a hug.

"_B__aka_...it's because of you that we keep fighting. Yeah, we could have been better off had you never existed here, but it just wouldn't be the same. You showed us what it was like to live life without trying to strictly adhere to rules, showed us that it was possible for us to be happy...and yet you're the one who showed us that even the best kindness in the world can be used to hurt others. You gained our trust and nearly lost it when we learned your secret. You fell in love with Commander Minna and took a chance trying to convince her." The little Fuso ex-Witch then laid down next to me, still embracing me. "So please...don't let failure slow you down, Roland-kun."

I gave off a faint smile. "Thanks, Yosh. I'll try to keep you from worrying about me too much starting tomorrow."

I swore I heard Yoshika yawn. "Alright...tomorrow...let's go and see what new adventures we'll have before we get to Helvetia. Night, Roland-kun..."

"Night, Yosh..."

And thus we drifted off to sleep, the little Fuso ex-Witch hugging me like I was a stuffed bear.

Honestly, I've gotten used to her laying next to me. Probably because of Sanya doing it sometimes that I got used to Yoshika (and later Minna) laying down with me.

Could be the same for any girl who ends up doing it.

I mean, the whole trick here was to avoid doing anything...well, dumb.

She's just sleeping next to me, so what's wrong with that?

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

**And there you go: the first chapter in the next episode of Roland's story.**

**In case you're wondering why I named the story how I named it, my answer to you is this: as the movie this is based on didn't have a number in its title, I chose not to include one in my title. Besides, it probably would have looked a little...off for me if I put down, say, "2.5". I don't know, but it was my preference. As for the absence of "The Movie", I wanted to try something different with naming my story.**

**As for other stories...I've got some news: as an added bonus, I will be publishing two chapters for Project Himebana (officially named** _Strike Heroes:_ _Himebana_**), so when you get a chance please go and check that out.**

**Anyways, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of the first chapter here.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	2. Anchors Aweigh and a Wandering Neuroi

**Okay, I'm back, and I've brought the next chapter in the movie coverage with me.**

**Now, whether you're joining this series for the first time or are a veteran here, I do want to thank you all for taking the time to read this story. It's rather impressive seeing how people seemed to have been waiting for this very moment. So I promise I will do my absolute best to not disappoint as I push on (luckily, I thought of pre-writing all the chapters, but I can always change something before I publish it).**

**Anyways, before I actually start the next chapter, let's take the time to respond to the reviews so far:**

_Genesis SBX_**: Unfortunately, as the writer I can't divulge too much about my plans. Suffice to say, though, that there will be a lot on both Roland's and Shizuka's plates (Roland dealing with the fact that he's hiding his true identity and Shizuka not having a clue who the man who was asked to tag along by Yoshika truly is), so hopefully I won't disappoint along the way.**

_Gamerman22_**: Yep, the next chapter in Roland's saga is underway. As stated above, I can't divulge too much about plans, but rest assured: given Roland's luck and the amount of power-awakening he's been undergoing, he's bound to learn a few more tricks to stay one step ahead of the Neuroi.**

_Sky EXE_**: Oddly enough, you don't know how much I wanted to put that in. Given I watched too much of the movie I referenced (thousand points for whoever can guess it, but note that the points are just like a thousand tallies on a whiteboard: they're just figures and are not worth much), this was naturally the best choice I could ever come up with for that precise moment. I do thank you for the review, though...what am I going to do with an Internet at the moment? Better put it on my virtual shelf for now and ponder about it...**

_jaku uzumaki_**: Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this story.**

_Redcollector (Guest)_**: See the first sentence of the second response above for my reply (given that I'm literally running out of sentences to describe it), but it's really good to hear that you've been waiting. I hope you enjoy this story and thanks for the review.**

_Kenshiro92_**: Wow, erm...I don't think I've heard that sort of response before, but I do want to say that I am honored that you feel that way. :) As for updates, I am still arguing with myself about a steady schedule for updates, but I will perform updates on Wednesdays until further notice. Feel free to remind me if I forget my schedule for a while, and I sincerely hope that you find this story as enjoyable as the others in the series.**

_Jetfire77_**: Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this story.**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: Concerning "Operation Victory Arrow", I am not too sure right now. I have considered it but I wanted to get this underway for a bit longer before I can try it (plus I need to watch it as well. At least, the first one). Other than that, thanks for the review.**

**And those are all the reviews so far. I do apologize if the sentences sound a bit...repeated. It's hard to think of more ways to express wishes of enjoyment to you, the readers (wonder if that even makes sense...). Besides, this is the first review-responding for the story so far, so I'll get back in the groove after a while.**

**Anyways, we now return to your regularly scheduled program...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 2: Anchors Aweigh and a Wandering Neuroi**

_Roland's POV_

Waking up the next morning, Yoshika was still hugging on to me.

At least the girl doesn't have a death grip or something. Also, thankfully she's not Minna (nothing against my girlfriend, but she seems to have a strong grip when she hugged me while sleeping. Case in point: the morning of Operation Mars).

I think she was also muttering something to herself, but I can't seem to tell; I just barely woke up.

I instinctively tried moving my left arm and felt the little Fuso ex-Witch's hands pinning it to my side.

Jeez, did she shift her grip or something?

Also, I think I was feeling some rather warm breathing against my chest. When I looked to see what the breathing was coming from, I saw Yoshika's face buried in my chest.

"...Lynne..." I barely heard her say in her sleep.

Lynette?

Well, that would explain why her face was in my chest: I think Yoshika positioned herself into the Britannian Witch's breasts when they slept in the same bed.

Though...you think she actually knows where she is still?

Thinking quickly, I called upon my red aura...

And promptly remembered that I couldn't use it anymore: my aura was attached to my magic, which was gone (despite Lionelis saying something about getting my magic back, I find the lack of said magic to be...well, a little sad).

I sighed as we lied there, me being a prisoner of a girl's hug.

It really sucks not being able to do certain things sometimes...

I cleared my throat and squirmed around a bit, trying to get out of Yoshika's grip. Probably not a very good plan on my end: because of her position, I felt her breasts move a bit from my movements.

Note to self: do not try that again. It's one thing to try that when I'm being held by Minna but trying it with Yoshika just seems...wrong to me now.

I think there's only one other thing I can think of...

Clearing my throat again, I put on my best impersonation of Mio's voice as I said, "Miyafuji, up and center!" By the sound of it, though, it sounded more like I was trying to crack up my voice.

Fortunately, I did score a groan from Yoshika as she started waking up, but she wasn't going as fast as I would have guessed.

"Uwah..." the little Fuso ex-Witch said sleepily as she yawned and looked at me. "Morning, Roland-kun."

"And a good morning to you, Yosh," I told her in return with my own voice. "Now, can you please let go of me so that I can get up?"

It took a few seconds for Yoshika to study her position before she made a reply: she gave off a yelp of surprise as she pushed herself up and crawled back a bit. "I'm so sorry! I was having a dream about Lynne and I-"

I put my left hand ahead of me to simulate a "slow down" sign as I sat up, my right arm supporting my body. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! I think I know what you were dreaming about, Yoshika. You don't need to tell me in complete detail if you don't want to." I then looked at my watch and saw that it was about eight in the morning. "We better get ready anyways. Hattori said that she would meet us here in thirty minutes."

"Right!" Yoshika sprung up and raced to her room to get ready.

Apparently, Shizuka went to the naval base for the night, telling us that she would be swinging by at eight-thirty today to pick us up for the trip. She also said something about me only coming along because Yoshika "wanted you [referring to me] to"...is that a bit cold?

Eh, don't know: I may have worked with girls but I still don't get them half the time.

Thankfully, I haven't had too much problems with it.

I simply sighed as I crawled across the floor and grabbed my blue backpack, which had all my personal things in it. Of course, some of them had to be taken out and some I had lost (my razor, for instance, had been missing for about three weeks, and I have yet to replace it).

I then started packing whatever I could.

Clothes? Well, they weren't my vest and things from when I was a Witch, but they would do. Plus, it'd be too time-consuming telling you what they were exactly. The only thing I do know is that Sayaka and Yoshiko (apparently, Yoshika's mother and grandmother respectively) had decided to get me some clothes to help fit in without me having to wear my uniform and reveal myself. I really am thankful that they knew I wanted to be away from the limelight for as long as I can, probably because they live in a rather rural area.

Anyways, moving on: personal hygiene? Already in the backpack.

An emergency pistol that was dismantled for safety? Mio gave me a Walther PPK for me to defend myself if I needed to, even giving me a spare clip. While I haven't really had it around to use it, I still kept it in case I ever did. The only reason why it was dismantled currently was because I didn't need it going off in my backpack (and into my back or something) if I left a clip in it.

Thank God my step-dad taught me how to handle guns before I got here.

A crowbar? Check.

My sword? Not going in the bag, but it's coming with me.

...And I think that's it, really.

Oh, can't forget the notes I've been taking based on Doctor Miyafuji's work. They're going to be the only real form of entertainment for me aside from writing letters.

I crawled over to a pile of note-riddled papers I've been accumulating (complete with the puppy Yoshika rescued from yesterday as an organic paperweight; don't ask how it decided to be one because I don't have time to figure that out right now) and, after removing the puppy from the top of the pile, grabbed the papers with my left hand before waddling on my knees back to my backpack, the puppy in my right arm.

Best put those in here nice and gently...

And done. I think I got all of it.

I wonder what Yoshika's going to pack. Better go and help her out...and better bring the puppy with me until Shizuka arrives...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

It took a while, but I had arrived at the clinic to pick up Miyafuji and Roland (the name he had given me) at our appointed time for the trip to Helvetia. The three of us were joined by Miyafuji's family as we headed to the battleship _Amagi_, which would be taking us for some of the journey. Currently we were on the ship as a crowd had formed to watch the _Amagi_ set off on its voyage.

"Take care, okay?" I heard Miyafuji say as she and the other sailors aboard the ship were waving at the crowd.

"Stay healthy!" her mother said. "Take care of her, alright, Roland?"

"Study hard!" Miyafuji's grandmother added.

"Do your best, Yoshika!" her cousin Michiko called out as she waved back and ran down the dock for a bit. "Take care."

"I'll be back!" Miyafuji replied.

It was then that I looked at Roland, who looked a little lost in thought as he looked at the crowd. He looked sad for some reason.

"What's wrong, Roland?" I asked him out of curiosity. Yesterday, he looked a little more concerned with Miyafuji going to Helvetia, yet now he looked...sad.

"It's nothing..." Roland said as he sighed and, forcing a smile on his face, waved back to the other people with his right hand.

I raised an eyebrow.

I don't really know what exactly was going on, but for some reason the sailors were treating Miyafuji and Roland rather nicely since they came on board.

I mean, Miyafuji I could understand: she destroyed an entire Neuroi hive using the _Shin Reppuzan. _What's not to respect?

But Roland...I don't really know.

What exactly were you thinking of anyways, Roland?

A few minutes later, and we had cleared the dock as the rest of the fleet were heading in the same direction as us.

"It'll take us a while to get there," I told them as the sailors went to do their duties. "We should go and settle into our quarters for the trip. Roland's got a room to himself while Pilot Officer Miyafuji and I will share one. Is that alright?"

"Sure," Roland said as he walked off. "I'll go find the rooms. Can't be that hard to find, right?"

I raised an eyebrow yet again. "Hey, you know that I'm the superior out of the two of us, right?"

Roland stopped and looked like he was thinking of a good reply. A second later, he said, "That all depends on the situation. Do you know where the rooms are?"

That all depends on...? "Why would it depend? I'm a sergeant while you're just a civilian."

"Um, actually..." Miyafuji started before Roland turned around and stared at her. Whatever he did it for, it cut off the rest of her thought. Also, did he look a little...intimidating just now? Must be my imagination...

"Actually what?" I was a little curious about why the pilot officer had stopped talking when he looked at her.

"It's a long story but for now let's just say that I was a part of the military at one time," Roland told me.

At one time?

I sighed and added, "Well, you must have not been a very good soldier if you nearly killed Miyafuji by crashing into her back at the river."

Roland clenched his right fist before giving off a sigh and replying with, "I guess you're right, Sergeant Hattori..."

Something told me I should back off of that incident; I think he's learned his lesson from that. "Anyways, follow me so that we can get you two settled in."

"_Hai_," Miyafuji told me as Roland simply nodded his head.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**And it was with some anxiety about future events and a little sadness in his heart that the former Neuroi Witch started his journey alongside an old friend and a new face. With no idea what will occur and his identity to try protecting until he had no choice but to lose it, Roland could only hope that he could survive long enough to see Yoshika all the way to Helvetia and reunite with Minna.**_

_**Meanwhile, on the same day the Fuso girls and their companion (well, he was Yoshika's, but it's easier to say that he was a companion of both), a different trio were in the recently-liberated Venezia, around one month after Operation Mars and the "loss" of the Neuroi Witch...**_

XXXXXXXXXX

_Draco's POV_

August the Third.

It really did seem like any other day here in the recently-freed Venezia.

Well, if a normal day here had us inside what I could only safely say was a gondola.

I say "us" because I was with my childhood friend Captain Charlotte "Shirley" Yeager and her Romagnan teammate Ensign Francesca Lucchini.

The Romagnan Witch was sitting at the front, her legs on the edge of one of the seats on the boat as she looked ahead. Shirley was busy operating the stick-like oar that moved the gondola as she stood in the back.

Me? I was sitting in the seat in front of Shirley, looking at the buildings to our sides. There were a few projects going on, that much I could tell you.

The gondola we were in didn't really seem to look a lot like a normal gondola: it was black with golden yellow detailings, and the seats were red velvet with pink...fluffy trimmings for the detailing of the seats (they looked like they could have been part of a bathrobe or some. A rather fluffy bathrobe).

"They're making short work of the reconstruction here too, huh?" Shirley asked as she rowed.

I nodded my head.

It was thanks to us, the Five Hundred and First Joint Fighter Wing, that Venezia was free.

...Well, I should say that it was more like it was all thanks to Captain Sage and Yoshika. The two of them had lost more than we had ever thought of: the little Fuso Witch had lost her magic entirely performing the _Shin Reppuzan_ while the Neuroi Witch nearly lost his life after being fused with the giant Neuroi core we had to fight.

Sometimes, I wonder if I could ever understand what it was like having to live with the Neuroi core inside of my body. Captain Sage was the only person I really knew who had ended up with it, and based on the rumors generated after his announced "death" I'd have to say that it sounds more like a curse than anything.

As for why I said "death" in quotes: he wasn't exactly "dead" in the sense that he was physically dead. Magically, he was pretty much empty (at least, that's what we believe), but physically he looked fine. If you counted the scars on his arms and the dark red left eye (one that I still have no clue about) as being "fine".

"Yep," Lucchini replied as she looked at the buildings as well. "The bell tower's not quite done yet, though."

I looked at the bell tower the Romagnan Witch referred to and couldn't help but agree with her: it still looked like it was under construction.

"It's a town symbol, so it'd be nice if they fixed it quickly," the Romagnan Witch continued as Shirley made another stroke with the oar. She then caught something out near the edge of the waterway. "Look, the Regata Storica!"

"Regata?" Shirley and I asked, confused. "What's that?"

Lucchini sat up as she looked at the groups in the gondolas ahead of us. "It's a speed race for gondolas taking place next week!"

I looked back at Shirley as she gave off a devilish grin, like she was thinking of something interesting. "A speed race?"

Oh boy, I knew that look on her face. That was the look of a speedster, someone who I grew up with. She always had that sort of look when it came to hearing about a challenge or something. I could tell straight away she relished the idea of joining in on the action.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking, huh?" I asked her.

I then watched as a gondola that had a red underside with a white detailing moved on past us. There were three girls in it, Witches by the fact that they lacked pants. What was also weird was the fact that one of them was standing at the front, this one being a girl with hair similar in color to Lynette Bishop's. There was also a brownish-haired one sitting in the center of the gondola while a dark-haired one was busy doing the rowing.

"I thought we wouldn't be able to participate in the Regata Storica this year," the one in the front said as they passed by us, turning her head to look at her friends.

"After all," the one in the center replied, "the country was until recently still under Neuroi occupation." Hang on, I think I recognize her...

"Martina, please don't forget yourself," the dark-haired one added.

The one up front (I guess Martina was her name) gave off a laugh as she replied with, "Naturally, we'll win this year as well!"

I guess the three of them have done this...Regata Storica thing before.

Also, they do realize that Shirley's nearby to hear what they're saying, right?

"Yeah," the one in the middle remarked as she turned her head to her left to look at the dark-haired one. "Luciana's the fastest if she breaks the gondola."

Naturally, this statement pissed off Shirley.

"The fastest one is me!" my friend shouted, catching the other girls' attention as she started rowing quickly, water splashing from the right side.

Oh boy...

"Slow down, Shirley!" I shouted as I tried calming her down. "There's no need to waste your energy right now!"

Lucchini, however, had gotten into a more secure seating on her knees as she gripped the sides of the gondola while Shirley was rowing like a maniac, and she sounded more ecstatic about the change in speed.

I was too a little, but do we really need to break a gondola to prove a point?

I'm not sure what the girls ahead of us said once they spotted us, but I can probably safely say that they knew who we were.

"That's right!" Lucchini told them as our ride came to a stop next to them and we matched their speed.

"Uh, lovely day for a boat ride, right?" I asked the girls next to us as I waved hello to them.

Shirley raised the oar a little as she looked at them and said, "Let's race then, Red Pants."

"What?!" the brownish-haired one asked, surprised. I know her face now: she was Fernandia Malvezzi, from the Five Hundred and Fourth Joint Fighter Wing.

"Perfect!" Martina replied in a determined tone.

"Why does it always have to come down to this?" Luciana asked.

Honestly, I lost track, but I do know that once Shirley makes a race plan she doesn't disappoint.

"First one to the Rialto Bridge!" Lucchini exclaimed cheerfully.

...Where's the Rialto Bridge?

The girl in the middle of the other boat turned to face Luciana and said, "Step on it, Luciana! That's an order!"

"Let's..." Luciana started before she started rowing as fast as she could. "Let's go then!"

Shirley started rowing faster as well, and it seemed like the challenged were getting ahead of us slowly.

I sighed as I stood up.

While it wasn't exactly a good thing to do so right now, I think Shirley's going to need more help if we're going to beat them there.

"Let me help," I said as I stepped onto the back of our gondola and grabbed a bit of the oar, falling in sync with Shirley's rowing.

"Thanks!" Shirley replied as she moved to let me grab more of it.

"Hey!" Martina said from ahead. "Kiss my butt!" She actually turned around and was patting her rear and everything.

...I can definitely say that I can see why Shirley used the term "Red Pants".

Lucchini didn't like the taunt at all based on her growl.

"Shirley!" the Romagnan Witch said as she turned to face us as we stopped rowing. "Drakey!"

...And there goes the Romagnan Witch's nickname for me...great...

"Now would you look at that," Shirley said as she looked at the gondola in first place. "They ain't half-bad!" We then resumed rowing, putting more effort into it.

"Let's show them who they're messing with," I added as I grew a smirk.

I think I was actually enjoying this now. Might be the speed we were going...or maybe it was something else...

I think the others caught on to our antics as Luciana started picking up more speed to try outracing us. Martina had done a short jump, and I can only imagine that one of them told her not to after that. Also, I think Martina was a little afraid about where we were in relations to them.

Fernandia told Luciana to use her magic, something that the dark-haired Witch said was against the rules. I think her teammate wasn't having any of it and promptly started...

Tickling her around the stomach?

...Okay, I'm lost. What does tickling your own teammate have to do with using magic (or even the race for that matter)?

Soon, Luciana's familiar activate, and their gondola took off at a rapid speed.

"They're cheating!" Lucchini shouted out as water soaked us from the wake they had left behind.

Once I could see clearly again, I glanced over at Shirley, who looked irked...scratch that: royally pissed off.

"Those bastards..." she growled as her familiar activated and she got ready to use her own magic. "Very well, if that's how we're gonna do it now..."

Oh dear, we're going to do _that_...better grip on really hard.

And not fall off. Or, for now, fly off.

I soon felt the oar go really fast, forcing me to relax my arms and watch them flail about as I tried to keep my grip on the oar. I then gritted my teeth as I tried matching my friend's speed in rowing, feeling my familiar activate in return.

I don't think I was going to use magic for this, but it doesn't help to be ready for anything just in case.

"Hell yeah!" we shouted as we went after the girls up ahead.

"Full speed ahead!" Shirley added as we rowed.

Soon, we sped right past the others, splashing them with a lot of water as we raced towards the end of the race. At least, I think it's the end of the race.

And we crossed the finish line!

Shirley and I started to slow down our craft, but...

"Who's kissing whose butt now?" Lucchini taunted as she repeated Martina's actions earlier, patting her rear towards the other girls.

Shirley gave off a yelp of surprise as she shouted, "W-We can't stop!"

"Well, we're racing up shit creek with no way of stopping..." I added with a sigh. I had to agree with her on that one: because of the speed we were going, the oar wasn't able to act as a brake. Putting it along the bottom of the river wouldn't work either: the speed we were going meant that the oar would break on contact.

I looked up ahead and saw that there were two gondolas parked up ahead, in the path we were heading.

...I am _so_ not going to like where this is going to go...

We screamed as we barreled into the obstacles, taking off into the air really high. Thinking unconsciously, I hugged on to Shirley as we flew (since I had been close to her before we flew) and soon felt the world get really disorienting. And painful...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Francesca's POV_

"Ouch!" I cried painfully as the girls we had been racing against had come over to us once we landed to tend to us.

"You've gotten taller," one of the girls said as everyone was inspecting my injuries.

"Looks painful," another one added.

"That's quite a lump there," Fernandia said as she was examining the top of my head, which I was holding on to really tight as I was whimpering in pain. I had a round lump on the top of my head, like the girl had pointed out.

"Could you heal it, Officer Fer?" Luciana, the dark-haired one, asked.

Shirley and Draco looked at me as they sat to my left, the boy looking a lot worse for wear. He had some scrapes on his clothes from the impact, and no doubt he had some sore bones from Shirley landing on top of him. Shirley, however, looked relatively fine. Probably a bit sore, but she wasn't as injured. Probably because Draco shielded her from the brunt of the damage like how Roland did for Captain Barkhorn back when the Jet Striker was used.

Fernandia sighed and said "Just this once, okay?" as she placed her hands on my head.

As she activated her magic and started healing my lump, I felt...funny during the process.

"It feels weird!" I commented.

"Hush, you," Shirley told me. "That's what healing feels like."

"At least, when you heal faster than normal," Draco added.

I wonder if this was what Roland felt like whenever he got healed. Then again, the only time he was really injured was when Barkhorn crashed into him while coming in after testing the Jet Striker, and he was unconscious at the time.

At least, that's the only injury I can name off the top of my head.

"It didn't feel like this when Yoshika did it," I complained.

Shirley sighed as she said, "That's true."

"Well, Pilot Officer Miyafuji could patch that up in a flash," Luciana offered.

Fernandia looked at her teammate with a put-off look and replied with, "That's mean. I'm hurt."

Luciana waved her hands in front of her hastily. "Th-that's not what I meant!"

"I'm kidding. There aren't many people who can use healing magic as well as Miyafuji."

"But I heard she burned out her magic during Operation Mars," Martina said quickly. "The same operation that the deceased Neuroi Witch, Roland Sage, was a part of."

I glanced at Shirley and Draco, who looked down at the ground as they remembered what had happened...and the truth behind it.

Roland didn't actually die in the operation: when we got to him once the core was destroyed, he was unconscious but was still in one piece. It took a week for him to wake up, and his magic had ended up being burned out as well to keep his core alive. As a result, his left eye had turned dark red. The only reason why he's considered "dead" is because the brass at the time tried waiting for him to wake up but (I guess) got impatient and declared him officially dead two days after.

At least they gave him a promotion posthumously (and I only know what that word means because I asked Shirley once I heard the word).

"It's thanks to them I can take part in the Regata Storica..." I said slowly as Fernandia healed my lump.

I watched as Shirley looked out towards the open water and said, "I wonder how Miyafuji's doing now since Roland's gone..." She then sighed.

I think I know her unspoken addition: "...and how Roland's dealing with his magic loss..."

A while later, and Fernandia finished healing my injury.

"All healed now!" Martina said cheerfully as the brownish-haired girl moved back a bit. "That's Officer Fer for you!"

I placed my right hand on top of where the lump used to be and said, "But it still feels weird."

"Stop complaining," Fernandia retorted as she placed her hands on her hips.

Shirley crawled over to me and, placing her left hand on my head and rocking it about a bit, added, "Ain't that nice, Lucchini?"

"You look a lot better now..." Draco included with a slight smile before we heard the unmistakable sound of a Neuroi.

"Don't tell me..." Luciana said as we looked at the open water and could make out a Neuroi coming towards our position. The Neuroi simply flew over us, heading into the heart of the country.

"Neuroi?" I asked, stunned. Why were they coming back to Venezia? We just liberated it from them about a month ago!

Unless...they know that Roland's unable to fight back now...

"You've gotta be kidding!" Shirley said in shock as she stood up and watched the Neuroi travel on its set path.

"But how?" Draco asked as he too stood up. "I swore we got rid of all of them around here! We saw Yoshika's _Shin_ _Reppuzan_ and Roland's Neuroi Explosion rip that core apart!"

"What are the scouts doing?" Fernandia said as Luciana ran over to a small portable receiver that was nearby and tried contacting their base.

"Officer Fer," Luciana said quickly once she tried raising the base, "I can't contact the base!"

"What?" Fernandia sounded surprised.

Shirley turned and ran off in a certain direction as she shouted, "Lucchini! Draco!"

"Roger!" Draco and I both said as we raced over to Shirley's personal boat, the buxom Witch pulling the tarps that were covering our Launch Units and the Striker Units off.

"Oh, Striker Units!" Martina said in awe.

"I'm always prepared for the worst!" Shirley explained briefly as the Launch Unit opened up its compartment to set up her Striker Unit. Once it got into place, my friend entered her Striker Unit and activated her familiar.

"Let's do it for Captain Sage!" Draco shouted as his Striker Unit was set up and he took off his shorts in order to let the Striker Unit operate at its best when he slipped into it and let his familiar show.

I simply jumped into mine and called upon my familiar as my gun popped out of the Launch Unit. I grabbed it as we soon took off into the air, heading after the Neuroi.

"The radio connection's unstable, you two," Shirley said as we flew. "Don't head too far." We soon spotted the Neuroi up ahead, the enemy being pelted by anti-air rounds that didn't seem to be hitting it (as I could see black smoke appearing around it). "Alright, let's do it!"

"Roger!" I shouted in return as we picked up speed and flew after it.

We aimed our guns at it and opened fire as the troops below stopped firing their rounds to accommodate our arrival, the Neuroi turning around as we gave chase. Soon, the Neuori fired a laser into the water and was starting to move it towards a section of town.

No way, I am not letting that Neuroi just destroy part of a town the people here have worked hard to rebuild!

I flew downwards and flew along the water as I tracked the beam's progress, pulling up in time to raise my shields and protect the town.

Shirley and Draco continued firing upon the Neuroi as I held my shield, and soon I lowered my defenses as the attack dissipated and could hear my orange-haired friend say, "Very good, Lucchini. Lure it out over the sea."

"Right!" I replied as I aimed my gun back at the Neuroi and fired, following its movements as it retreated back towards the open sea.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Charlotte's POV_

As Lucchini was firing her weapon at the enemy Neuroi from a distance, Draco and I closed the gap and flew under it, continuing to fire at it. The Neuroi replied to the hits by speeding up, something I had no problem counteracting as I zipped in front of it and shot at the enemy. Soon, the Neuroi turned around and started flying towards the sea, the Romagnan Witch chasing after it as she was shooting.

"Great, we've got it on the run!" I shouted. "Let's go, you two!"

Lucchini aimed at the Neuroi like she was going to finish it off before the enemy just...vanished from her sights. I looked down at the water and relocated the enemy as it was flying just over it.

"Down under, Lucchini!" I told her as Draco and I flew down to keep the chase going.

Soon, the Neuroi opened up a bit of it around the middle, making it look more like a strange missile now.

"It just transformed!" Draco said in shock once we witnessed it. We continued chasing it as Lucchini began her descent before the Neuroi stopped, turned upwards, and zoomed into the sky, finally shooting back as it aimed at the Romagnan Witch. Lucchini put up a shield in time to prevent herself from being shot down as we kept moving, the Neuroi slipping by her.

"It's definitely stronger than it looks," Draco commented.

Soon, we could hear Martina for some reason, and when we looked down we could see that she was at the top of the still-damaged bell tower.

"What's she doing there?" I asked myself as we looked.

"Shirley, look!" Lucchini pointed out something up ahead.

I looked myself and found myself understanding the idea that was forming now. "I see!" I then zipped ahead of the Neuroi and wiggled my rear a bit as a taunt. The Neuroi replied with a laser that I simply dodged. "Think you can catch me?"

"Shirley, be careful!" Draco shouted after me.

I then led the Neuroi down near a roadway as we entered the town, Lucchini and Draco hot on the enemy's heels. Following the waterway, I led them on until I could see the Rialto Bridge up ahead. "There we are. The Rialto Bridge." I then used my magic to speed up and zipped under the bridge, barely making out the other two members of the Red Pants girls we had been racing against a while before all this. They were standing on the bridge as they watched the Neuroi coming after them. I looked behind me as I slowed down and could only see the Neuroi go up into the air to avoid colliding with a shield that had been made by one of them before I heard a round go through the core located at the tip of the Neuroi, the enemy exploding into a burst of white crystalline particles.

I flew into the air as I inspected the remains, hoping that the Neuroi didn't just regenerate and try killing us again.

"Hey, Shirley..." Lucchini started as she and Draco joined me. "Where was that Neuroi hiding until now?"

I looked at her as I replied with, "It was too strong to be just a lonely straggler."

Lucchini turned herself a bit as she looked upset. "They're gone now, right?"

"Let's hope so," Draco said as we looked at the remains floating down all around us. "If they're planning something, we're gonna have to take care of it without Captain Sage."

I then frowned. "We know..."

Dammit, Roland...why did you have to do something so reckless? The Neuroi are still a major threat, and you no longer have any magic to fight back.

"Shirley?" Draco asked me as he floated in front of me. "You okay?"

"I'm just thinking, that's all," I told him as I looked back at Lucchini.

Whether I thought it was a horrible idea when he chose to do what he did that day or not, one thing was certain: the Neuroi are planning something.

But what?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And so ends the next chapter.**

**Again, I do want to thank you, the readers, for taking the time to read this: it's rather surprising to end up with the first review for the story under an hour after I first published it and see the amount of reviews for this particular chapter (as of this writing, the previous chapter set a personal record of having the most review before the story's marked as completed), but it's really given me a lot to think about. And a bigger motivation to keep doing what I'm doing.**

**Anyways, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the chapter.**


	3. A Cruise Ship This Ain't

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Before we get started on this one, let's handle the replies to the reviews so far:**

_majoramiruddin_**: Thanks for the review.**

_zergdramon_**: Must be coincidence if we both thought of the same thing. What a small Web we've found... Anyways, it's great to know that me writing has given you a drive to write more. I do wish you luck in your writing endeavors, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.**

_Sky_ _EXE_**: That is true concerning the reference. Other than that, thanks for the review, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter I have right now.**

_Gamerrman22_**: That's a good way of putting it, but only time will tell what happens. Besides that, thanks for the review and I hope that you continue reading the story.**

_jaku uzumaki_**: That is true, it will be interesting when that happens. However, when it will occur is the big question, but other than that please enjoy the story.**

_Jetfire77_**: Don't worry; things happen. Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy the story to the end.**

_Takashi2019_**: It's good to hear that my work was one of the things that motivated you to create your own fanfic in the SW universe. I do wish you luck in writing it, and thanks for the review.**

**And that's all the time we have for the reviews. I do have an announcement in store, but to avoid dragging this out, I'll put it down at the end of the chapter.**

**So let's see, where were we last...hmm...**

**Well, we were following Charlotte, Francesca, and Draco at the end of the last chapter while Yoshika, Roland, and Shizuka were on the **_Amagi_**. What to do...**

**Got it! Let's head back to the ship and check in on our Fuso duo and the hiding-in-plain-sight Roland...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 3: A Cruise Ship This Ain't**

_Shizuka's POV_

In the evening, I was busy unpacking my bag for this trip, setting them into a chest for safeguarding.

I didn't have any idea where Miyafuji or Roland were right now, but I could only hope that they weren't causing problems.

Well, Roland, at least. After I led them to the quarters for our trip, the man wandered off to explore the ship. A few minutes later, Miyafuji chose to go off and take a look around.

Sighing, I pulled out a folder that had been packed in my bag and opened it up, looking through the contents. It had a few articles detailing the exploits of the Strike Witches and the Neuroi Witch

_"Venezia is liberated!"_ the title of one article that had been pasted in there said when I looked through it.

I remember that article: it was about three days after what the military had called Operation Mars was a success, just a day after the announcement of the Neuroi Witch's passing. They had talked about what life had been like for the people whose homes were lost while the Neuroi occupied it and had gone into a little bit of detail about the events that led up to Captain Sage's death.

...Speaking of that, how come Roland and Captain Sage sound like they're the same person? I mean, they sound similar, but I don't quite think they are, to be honest: Captain Sage had been said to value the life of his teammates a lot, which most likely fueled his choice to sacrifice himself to try destroying the Venezian hive. Roland, however, had nearly taken out Miyafuji back at the river. It was an accident, yeah, but it didn't really score much points from me.

I turned the left page over and found a photo that Miyafuji's mother had taken of us a little while before we reached the ship. Me, Roland, and Miyafuji.

"Pilot Officer Miyafuji..." I said with a smile before I turned the page the same direction as last time. "I still can't believe I get to accompany her to Europe. I just really hope that we get there soon before Roland does something to try hurting her again." I then closed the folder and held it to my chest. "Father, I'll fulfill my mission without fault!"

Suddenly, the door to the quarters opened up, and I turned to look at Miyafuji and Roland, who were coming in.

"I'm back!" the pilot officer said as they stepped in. "And I brought Roland-kun with me."

"Welcome back," I greeted hastily as I put the folder back into the chest and closed it.

"This ship is huge...I got lost on the way back, and I bumped into Roland-kun while he was looking around."

"True story," Roland replied. "The ship _is _rather huge..."

"The _Amagi_ is two hundred and sixty meters long," I informed them. "It's the largest carrier in the Fuso Navy!"

Roland raised an eyebrow. "You know an awful lot about ships like this, huh?"

"You're just like Micchan," Miyafuji added.

"Well, I'm still young and inexperienced," I replied.

"...Erm...How old are you again?"

"Me?" I blinked once. Why is she asking me about my age? "I'm about to become fourteen."

Miyafuji gasped in surprise. "You're two years younger than me! You looked so mature, I thought you were older than me."

"I'm sorry to have confused you, Pilot Officer."

Miyafuji looked slightly put off. "Could you stop addressing me like that?"

I shook my head. "I can't do that. We're on a military vessel."

"Understandable," Roland said, "but you can still lighten up every now and then."

"Sakamoto once told me that we're all navy officers, so we shouldn't worry about our ranks all that much."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "She said that?" That doesn't seem to be something she'd say back before I came to fetch Miyafuji.

The pilot officer nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah! We'll call you Shizuka, so in exchange please call me Miyafuji or Yoshika or something. You already refer to Roland by his first name, so you can do the same with me if you want."

I blushed. She wanted me to call her something other than by rank? Erm...it's not that I don't want to, but we're on a military vessel! "T-then...M-Miyafuji..."

Miyafuji then chuckled lightly. "Yeah, like that!"

I then remembered something we still needed to do. "So...Miyafuji...I'll help you gather your luggage." I then walked over to the chest that was opposite from mine and opened it up, Miyafuji's bag sitting next to it. "According to regulations, you're only allowed as much as you can fit in this on board." I turned to look at the pilot officer. "I'm sure you know, but you still might have brought a bit too much..." I then realized something: I don't think I saw her carrying anything but that bag of hers. Roland's only bag wasn't much better, but at least his was a backpack. "Speaking of which, where is your luggage?"

"You're looking at it," Roland replied as Miyafuji pointed to the bag next to her chest.

I looked at the bag and then back at the pilot officer. "Is that all? You don't have anything else?"

"Nope," Miyafuji replied.

I was shocked: what kind of officer brings that much with her? "Then what about your uniform? And your primary and secondary equipment?"

"Don't have it." That response was said in a sort of curious-sounding tone.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few seconds later, and Miyafuji's bag was sitting inside her chest, all by itself. The three of us were looking at the lone object in there.

"Now that I think about it," Roland commented as we stared at it, "this feels more like we're staring at road kill and wondering if we should poke it with a stick or something."

I closed my eyes as I put my left hand to my forehead in disbelief.

"How can you not even have your officer uniform?" I asked Miyafuji.

"Well, we're not technically part of the military anymore..." Miyafuji replied.

"You are now!" Now I was angry. "You're going to study abroad as a Pilot Officer of the Fuso Navy! Officers must dress in a manner fit for their rank!"

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to," Roland said as he stepped between us. "And for that matter, you should consider your own dress code right about now, Sergeant Hattori."

"I'm a Witch, _baka_. Besides, those are the rules!"

I watched Roland's right fist clench tightly before Miyafuji slipped between us this time, facing Roland.

"Stop it, Roland-kun," she told him. "I know you don't like what she's saying right now, but please don't start picking a fight. You're going to regret it later on."

Roland gave off a sigh of defeat.

"You're right, Yosh," he replied as his right hand opened back up. "I don't like the way the sergeant is acting right now, but hitting a girl's not something I want to be doing right now even though I've already hurt one before."

Huh? He hurt a girl before? Why would he do that?

Turning to face me, Miyafuji added with a saddened tone, "I'm sorry..."

Well, at least she stopped Roland from doing something reckless.

But I really do want to know: how close are those two? I mean, she calls him "Roland-kun", yet he doesn't look like he was of Fuso descent.

Then again, it _is_ a sort of title we use in Fuso, but what's so special about that guy? He's going around using the name of the Neuroi Witch (even though he said that they were not related, it's still suspicious), and he's got some anger issues.

Why was Miyafuji wanting him to come along with us?

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

The next morning, I was walking around on the deck to get a feel for the layout of the ship when Yoshika found me and asked me to help her help the cooks with some meals.

Don't really know why she wanted to help them out: I think they already had enough hands to do the job. However, I wasn't going to argue with the little Fuso ex-Witch. At least, not with a cute face like hers (seriously, why is it that I have to have a friend whose familiar is a dog? Puppy eyes are a very difficult thing to combat, I'm afraid. Must be a good pairing with a face like hers, though).

Anyways, we were inside the cooking area, Yoshika busy dicing up some vegetables as some of the men were in the room next door doing something else. I was busy keeping an eye on the pots that were on the stovetops.

"I diced up all the veggies!" Yoshika proclaimed after a while.

"That was fast!" one of the men in the next room replied. "Mind doing the mackerel too?"

"Sure! Three pieces, right?" She then stepped to my right. "Roland-kun, can you get me three mackerels out of this pot please?" She grabbed the lid of one of them and pulled it off, letting out a lot of steam.

Before I could do anything, Shizuka decided to come into the area, dressed in her uniform.

"Miyafuji!" she snapped, sounding angry.

I don't think she's here to ask us when the food would be ready...

Yoshika, who had given me the lid gently, picked up a ladle, and was now reaching in to grab some fish, turned her head to the right and saw the sergeant.

"Ah, Shizuka!" she said, cheerfully oblivious to Shizuka's current stance. "Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes!"

"You mustn't do this, Miyafuji!" Shizuka chastised her as the sergeant walked up to us. "You're an officer!"

"Aw, come on," I said quickly. "You're just jealous that Yoshika's doing something you can't, huh?"

Shizuka leaned over to look at me. "You think this is a game, Roland or whoever the hell you are?"

I shook my head quickly. "No. I don't think it is, but you can't just pull Yoshika out of cooking right now. She's busy."

"I don't care. Officers do _not_ cook." Something tells me that Mio's trained this one a _wee__ bit_ too much.

"But we're all comrades on the same ship," Yoshika reasoned.

"Even among comrades, officers are officers!"

Does that mean that even if Minna is my girlfriend, she's the wing commander of my unit first?

...What was that I said about Mio training her too well?

I mean, I know that I follow that rule, but (currently being out of the military) I don't think I'm worrying about Minna's rank as much as I think I should if what Shizuka is saying is anything to go off of.

I watched as Shizuka grabbed Yoshika by her right wrist and started leading her out of the kitchen. Before she could go very far, though, I grabbed Yoshika's other wrist.

"Hold on," I said quickly. "You're seriously going to just pull Yoshika away from the mackerel? Who's going to cut them up?"

"You can, for starters," Shizuka told me. "Now let go."

"No, you let go!" I pulled on Yoshika's wrist a bit.

"That's an order!" Shizuka yanked the arm she had a hold of. That only served to make me pull back harder, making Yoshika cry in pain.

I froze once I heard it.

"Roland-kun, let go of me!" she cried out. "You're hurting me!"

Instinctively, I let go and watched as Yoshika stepped towards Shizuka a bit before the Fuso sergeant dragged her off.

As the other men looked at me in surprise, I raised my hands to my face and stared at them.

Why did I do something like that? Yoshika's not a doll; she's a living, breathing girl.

Unless...

Unless having the Neuroi core active inside me still is making me like this?

I shook my head violently as I clenched my hands into fists. No matter what, I'm in control of my life, not the core inside me.

Opening my eyes and hands backup, I stared at them once more.

But...if it's not the core...then why...?

XXXXXXXXXX

Around lunchtime or so, some of the crew started washing the deck (I think the term was more like "swabbing the deck" but I'm not sure if they use that term here).

Naturally, Yoshika wanted to help out, and I joined in because I really needed some time to work off whatever stress I'm letting build up.

As I used what I'll refer to as a scrub brush to wash the deck, I could see Yoshika about twenty feet to my left, preparing her own scrub brush for washing. I watched as she set the bristles on the surface and shout "Launch!" before running along the runway and scrubbing while she was at it.

I really wonder if she's still thinking about flying even when she's no longer able to...

It really is sad to see a person younger than me, and a _girl _no less, having more fun around here than me.

Oh well, that's just Yoshika for you. Rather cheerful unless you do something to piss her off, like hurting Lynne or trying to drain a Neuroi Witch of his energy.

She then made a U-turn to her left and started coming back around, and I noticed one of the men taking a break for now call out her name before tossing a soda bottle to her. Catching it, she stopped and looked at it.

"Woohoo, soda!" she said cheerfully. "Thanks a lot!"

"Want one, sir?" another crew member asked me.

"Sure," I replied.

The man tossed me a bottle, and I caught it myself with my left hand as I walked towards Yoshika, the brush in my right hand as I balanced it across my right shoulder...

Only to hear footsteps coming from behind me.

Turning around, I was soon looking at Shizuka face-to-face. One slightly-irritated Shizuka.

"Hey there," I said with a start. "Lovely weather we're having, right?"

Shizuka didn't reply to me, so I thought of doing something good: I held out my unopened bottle of soda out to her.

"Want some soda?" I asked with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

In retrospect, never try to calm down Shizuka with a peace offering.

Also, she really packs a punch.

Anyways, we were inside the girls' quarters, Yoshika sitting on Shizuka's bed as the sergeant was busy "explaining" a few things to her. I was standing in the doorway, my face stinging on one side.

"The Naval Officer Guidelines state the following," she started. "'Behave as fit of your rank. Ensigns are ensigns, lieutenants are lieutenants. Whatever your rank, behave as fit for it'! These are military regulations!"

"Okay, first off," I said quickly. "If that's true, and I'm going to assume it is because you're the one reciting it and as such would know it best, then I'm fairly certain that you're not following it very well at the moment." I then rubbed my right cheek, which had felt Shizuka's left hook. "While I like the fact that you've got a mean left hook, you're just as guilty of not behaving according to regulations as Yoshika is."

Shizuka looked at me. "I'm not an officer."

"Still applies to you. See, even if you're not an officer, you're busy lecturing someone who's _clearly _higher-ranked than you. As such, Yoshika, by definition, shouldn't be taking orders from you."

"And what do you know about it? You're not even a member of the Fuso Navy."

"Because I've been slapped by girls who were my subordinates as well as those who were my superiors."

Shizuka lowered her eyebrows. "Really? Who?"

"That's for me to know and for you to earn the right to learn."

Shizuka then gave off a sigh. "Whatever you say, Roland...anyways, the Neuroi Witch and Miyafuji are my idols; the Witches' best! Miyafuji's the hero of Fuso, and Captain Sage was one of the first male Witches to fly!"

"But I only did what I did to try and rescue Roland-kun..." Yoshika told her sadly concerning the events from Venezia. Evidently, I think she's getting worried about the direction this might end up going.

"While his death is a true shame, he's the one who was stupid enough to get fused with the core."

...What? Oh no, you did not just go there...not in front of one of the thirteen people who saw me awake a week after...

"That's not true!" Yoshika told her. "Major Sakamoto was going to try using her magic to power the Dynamo back up, but Roland-kun stopped her! Because of him, she didn't suffer his fate!"

"And that's something I want to know too: why do you even call this man 'Roland-kun'?" Shizuka pointed her right index finger at me. "This man's not the same as the Neuroi Witch. The only thing he shares with him is the name. That's it."

Do you even know who you're talking to? "But why hold the Neuroi Witch himself so highly, then? You called him stupid for doing what he did, but why given your opinion of him?"

I watched as Shizuka, lowering her finger, closed her eyes and sighed. "Because...he was what got me to actually try my best. While training, I listened to Major Sakamoto's stories about some of the things he went through while he was alive, and for some reason I found myself actually wishing that I could have met him in person...one time, she was telling us about Operation Mars, how he tried taking down the Neuroi hive by himself and failed. After telling us that story, she said that there were still some who believe that he was still alive, having survived the battle. However...some people believe that, even if he did live, the core inside him had turned him against humanity."

"So...what do you think?" I asked her slowly.

Shizuka opened her eyes and looked at me, confused. "Huh?"

"What do you think happened to the Neuroi Witch? Do you think he's still around, watching the state of the world around us as a human or doing it as a member of the Neuroi, or do you believe that he died that day, never to return to the land of the living?"

Shizuka averted her gaze from me as she gave my question some thought. "I'm not sure...I want to believe that he's still alive, but if so he's most likely a Neuroi by now. Either way...I want to see him with my own eyes, just like how he was in the war. I want to see him for myself, exactly how he would have looked."

I frowned.

Should I tell her about what _really_ happened after the battle?

"But he's disappeared off the face of the earth," Shizuka continued as she blinked and looked at Yoshika once more. "Even if he's alive and not a Neuroi, he's a coward for not staying and helping us fight."

I gave off a sigh.

"Everything's not all black or white," I told her.

Yoshika gasped once I said it.

She should definitely know what I'm talking about: I had used that same line back in Britannia, when she got between Perrine and me in order to talk me out of dying by the Gallian Witch's hands.

"Even so, he made a bad choice," Shizuka simply said.

I sighed again and added, "Anyways, since we haven't gotten back on topic yet...why can't Yoshika help out on the ship? They let us on board when they could have just left us in Fuso for another ship to pick us up. The least we can do is help out."

"And I'm not a Witch anymore either," Yoshika added with a slight smile.

Shizuka gasped as she remembered that one piece of information.

"Sorry..." she said softly before adding in with more determination, "But the rules are absolute! The military operates by following them to the letter!"

As the sergeant started going into a state we'd usually see Gertrud enter when lecturing Erica, I looked at the little Fuso ex-Witch as she lowered her head in slight sadness.

If she and Gertrud ever meet, I only have one thing to say: God help us all.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Erica's POV_

For some unexplainable reason, I found myself sneezing as I was driving a truck we had used to pick up some supplies for the base we were at currently, Trude sitting in the passenger seat next to me as she was examining a map in her hands.

It's been a while since any of us have seen the Neuroi Witch. How long has it been, about four weeks now? I don't know, but I do know that he and Commander Minna were trying to keep in contact with each other.

Though she hasn't really heard from him for a while, something that she was getting a bit worried about.

Do I blame her? Not really; I mean, Roland did nearly get himself killed back during Operation Mars, but he did the only thing he could think of: firing the _Yamato's_ cannons onto the hive. Then again, he's got a life to try making; I think he's waiting for the commander to be done with her service, but if so then he's going to be waiting for a while. If he doesn't already know that.

"Caught a cold?" Trude asked me without even looking up. "Every Karlsland soldier must take great care of their health!" She then sneezed suddenly as well, giving off a slight groan. "Okay, why did I sneeze? I'm not sick or anything...anyways, not being to deploy on the fly because you got sick is preposterous!"

While she was talking, I wiped my nose with my right index finger and, when I pulled it away from my nose, saw that there was a line of snot stretching out. Without thinking too much about it, I placed my finger back near my nose and soon wiped it on a bit of her uniform.

"First of all, why-" Trude was saying before she realized what I was doing, and she screamed in shock. "Don't smear it on me!"

Other than that, it was about the usual.

I really wonder how Miyafuji and Roland are doing...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

...Somehow, somewhere, I think that we just made someone's day go sour for a few seconds.

"Do you understand now?" Shizuka asked Yoshika as she finished up the lecture.

"But then what am I supposed to do?" the little Fuso ex-Witch asked in return. Fortunately, the sergeant had a solution already.

"This." She walked over to a desk they had set in there and, picking up a book, handed it to Yoshika. It seemed to be a book she had brought with her to study from. "Study."

Yoshika stood up, a look of determination in her eyes. "O-okay!"

"Well then..." I said with a sigh. "I guess I'll see you two later..." I left the room and wandered over to my quarters, where I simply sat on the bed and sighed once more.

Why didn't I just go to Belgica with Minna, Gertrud, and Erica when I had the chance? At least if I was there I'd be with my girlfriend.

...No, I chose Fuso because I wanted to know the answer to my questions. Whether Shizuka is making me mad or not, I can't stray from that objective.

I stood back on my feet and went over to my backpack, getting on my knees as I rummaged around in my luggage for the notes.

The first thing I pulled out was something talking about what had been termed the "Miyafuji Theorem".

Huh, I don't think I actually saw something about this in the doctor's notes that I had read while I was still in Fuso...

Oh, wait. This was when I had asked Mio about his research about a day after I got access to his work.

I remember now: I had to call ahead so that we could schedule a time to meet up (seeing as she was busy training the next generation of Witches the only way she was able to: training exercises), and when we got settled at the academy I asked her about his history. She had told me that she had already explained it to me before but decided to tell me once more because I didn't have access to paper at the time (long story there...).

According to her, the Miyafuji Theorem revolved around the concept of the pocket dimension existing within the Striker Unit. Apparently, the use of a magic shield in combat arises from the mana of a Witch being poured into a magical engine, which created the other dimension.

I never actually thought that that was how the pocket dimension was made. I always thought that there was a device inside the Striker Unit that made it for its users.

At least that explains why the heat generated by the running engine doesn't leave burn marks.

I don't really know: the only thing I was sure of was the limiter, and I really don't think my Striker Unit had a limiter _per se_. Sometimes, I think _I_ was the limiter because I had to think about when I went into Neuroi Mode and (once I learned about the second stage) beyond.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about it right now, but when and if I do get my magic back...what do I do then?

Do I come out of hiding and fight once more?

I sighed.

...Maybe Shizuka's right in saying that I'm just a coward by not fighting back...can't even make a decision as simple as coming out of hiding...

XXXXXXXXXX

_**Dear Minna,**_

_**I don't know when you'll actually get this letter, but until then I will keep it with my other letters from my time as the one named the Neuroi Witch. It is my fondest hope that this letter will reach you in one piece.**_

_**...**_

_**...Why do I sound like I'm going to a funeral?**_

_**Anyways, I guess you're asking yourself why I haven't been keeping in touch with you lately.**_

_**Well, I'm on the **_**Amagi_ right now._**

**_Been on it for about three weeks now._**

**_It's truly a testament to the time I've spent here wondering about the choices I made._**

**_...Nevermind, I haven't been here long enough to call it a testament. Though with Shizuka around it might as well be._**

**_Right, you might be wondering: who's she?_**

**_Well, she's a Witch who rescued me and Yoshika when we accidentally went over a waterfall (ask me for details when we see each other again). She said something about bringing Yoshika a visa for her to study in Helvetia._**

**_I have no idea where Helvetia is, but it's in Europe somewhere._**

**_It does mean that I'll be able to come to Saint Trond's base and be with you again._**

**_But...I am a little worried about what's been going on so far. Shizuka's a good girl and all, but I think she's like Gertrud, only of Fuso descent. She seems to hold Yoshika and myself as idols but criticizes my choice to power the Dynamo back during Operation Mars._**

**_While I'm glad to see that no one asides from the crew (I haven't heard any of them talk about my identity with Shizuka; she's been busy either keeping prepared for combat or making sure Yoshika acts like an officer) and Yoshika know about my status as "still-alive", it really seems to irk me that she doesn't know who I am._**

**_Speaking of that...how do you deal with Gertrud when she does something like this to Erica if we had the following conditions: Gertrud (who's, let's say, a sergeant) telling Erica (lieutenant in this case; then again, that's her current rank, right?) how to act?_**

**_...Somehow, I think you'd tell me something about showing them some authority or something along those lines, but there's a reason why I'm not at your rank yet: I don't know how to handle it at this point. If I act passive, then Shizuka will keep doing what she's doing, but if I choose to be aggressive I'm afraid that I might incapacitate if not kill the sergeant out of rage (God only knows that attacking Tina and slamming the back of my fist into your cheek were so far the worst I've done outside of killing Neuroi. I shudder to think what would happen if Shizuka drives me to a point beyond that considering that Lionelis, my core, is still active)._**

**_I guess I'll have to find a balance between them somewhere...but where do I draw the line?_**

**_Anyways, like I said I don't know if you'll actually get this letter before we meet again, so until I can send it I'll be toting it around with the rest of my letters._**

**_I really can't wait to see you again. Even if it takes us a year to see each other again, I'll wait until that day._**

**_Love, _Roland Sage, _August 23, 1945._**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And there goes the next chapter in** _Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Alright, since I said something about an announcement for this chapter, here we go: I will be taking a break from updating due to the holidays (where I'm heading, I won't have access to a computer for working on the story) being around the corner. Because of that, I will do my best to take the time to read some of the other stories while I'm where I'm going for a while via a mobile device, so if you want me to take a look at your story then PM me. I do have a list of stories I need to start/continue reading, though, so I will try my best to read them and leave my thoughts while keeping an eye out for others. Once I return around the first week of January, I will work on getting more materials up. I will also be updating **_Strike Heroes:_ _Himebana_** as well when I come back, so be on the look-out for that.**

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what you think of the chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter (or the next entry of **_Strike Heroes: Himebana_** if you happen to read that right after).**


	4. Friends and Reveals (Oh, and an Iceberg)

**I'm back!**

**...Ahem...**

**Sorry, just wanted to get that off my chest really quick...now, where was I...oh right!**

**Hello and welcome to the next chapter in **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Before I begin with the replies to the reviews, I would like to say that I took the liberty of taking the time to read some of the stories that had either caught my attention or had been recommended to me. Since I have some better equipment for reading fanfics when away from my computer, I'll be making a bigger effort to keep my eyes open for new stories, but the offer from before still stands: if you want to recommend a story to me (whether it's your own or someone else's), feel free to tell me via PM.**

**With that out of the way for the moment, let's get to the reviews from the last chapter:**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: Thanks for the review.**

_majoramiruddin_**: Concerning your review, your answer is a lot closer than you think. But I won't spoil when just yet, so keep an eye out. Other than that, thanks for the review.**

_Gamerman22_**: That sort of view is possible given Roland's position in the world. With the only known male (former) Witch with a Neuroi core inside him, the odds of that being a potential view is a strong possibility.**

_Takashi2019_**: Ask and you shall receive (with some time put between updates for editing and checking). Besides that, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter (this goes for everyone else as well).**

_jaku uzumaki_**: Thanks for the review.**

_Jetfire77_**: Please see the response for **_majoramiruddin_**'s review for more details (even if it's rather short, sorry) concerning your review. Though this chapter won't be able to answer all your questions **_just_** yet. Other than that, thanks for the review.**

**Whew, there's the end of the responses for the moment...**

**Anyways, since I was gone for two weeks, let me recall where we were...**

**Hmm...Neuroi in Venezia,** _Amagi_** carrying a crew, two girls, and Roland (**_Roland: _Hey!**)...**

**Aha! Here we go!**

**Let's see what's going on from when Roland last wrote a letter...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 4: Friends and Reveals (Oh, and an Iceberg)**

I was simply lying on my bed at some unknown hour, darkness all around me as I lied there.

Other than the discussion we had about three weeks ago (I think it's the twenty-fourth of August), Shizuka hasn't been too bothersome towards Yoshika. Probably because the little Fuso ex-Witch has been to herself studying.

Well, I shouldn't say entirely all to herself.

I mean, from when I get up and check on her when she wakes to when she goes to bed, Yoshika's been studying. While I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, even she's got to take a break every once in a while.

And she kind of does, if only for about five minutes of laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling or going down to the mess hall and getting a bite to eat.

I don't know; I've been thinking to myself for the last few weeks.

_**You're forgetting**** someone...**_

Right, not entirely thinking to myself.

Oh right, before I go any farther, I just remembered: about a week ago was Yoshika's (and Sanya's) birthday. I only really brought this up because we're still in August. Plus, Yoshika seemed to have memorized the members of the Strike Witches' birthdays, which she told me about some time before we met Shizuka. Strange thing was that as she was telling me them she gave me a sort of "don't you dare forget" look when she got to hers and Minna's. And I think Mio's, but I was too busy trying to remember everyone else's.

Thankfully, I have Lionelis to store the information for a later date.

_**We're a Neuroi core inside your body,**_ said core interrupted. **_Not your secretary._**

_Lio,_ I told the core. _I don't need you cutting into my narration._

**_Well, as the core inside you, we do think we're entitled to say something at some point. We mean, the reader hasn't heard from us since the first chapter._**

_...You broke the fourth wall just now, didn't you?_

**_Hard to find a wall when we're talking to the audience through words in front of them._**

_...Everyone, Lionelis..._

**_Now you're being sarcastic._**

_Yay, you earned a sticker._

Anyways, you kind of get the idea.

_**At least you can't say that you're talking to yourself, **_Lionelis added. _**Even though we're just a voice in your head at the moment.**_

_Is there's a point to you interrupting me?_ I asked the core.

**_Yeah,_ **Lionelis said. _**You should go check up on Yoshika.**_

_You might be right...I'm thinking that she's still studying, like usual._

**_We think she is too._**

_I don't mind the studying, but there's got to be something else she can do that's productive yet won't score her a lecture from Shizuka concerning ranks and things._

**_Well, knowledge is power._**

_...True._

I got up and stared at my surroundings. Since I had been laying in the dark, I was able to see in the nighttime currently. Course, if I got a light shone in my face, I'm going to be blinded for a while.

I opened the door to my quarters and walked down the hall (lit by a a line of dim lightbulbs), soon reaching the room the girls were using. Opening it, I saw Yoshika sitting at her desk, a lamp active and being used as a source of light as she was looking at something.

Yeah, I think she's studying at the moment.

As she chose now to lean back and stretch her back and arms for a bit, I walked up to her.

"Everything tickety-boo?" I asked her once I stopped on her left side.

Yoshika looked at me and said, "Oh, hey there, Roland-kun. I'm fine." She then looked at a map she had pinned up in front of the desk, which seemed to have a red line drawn on it that depicted the path we were taking to head to our destination. The line had stopped at Madagascar (contrary to what you might think, I did not see any talking lions, zebras, hippos, or giraffes while we passed by. Though, to be fair, I really wanted to see the HELP sign that was made before it became a HELL sign). She grabbed a red pencil and extended the line a bit towards the tip of Africa. "We've almost reached the tip of Africa."

I smiled. Maybe we can take a break at a port so that I can radio Minna and talk to her again. Course, I have to do it without Shizuka finding out.

I really do wonder how she'll react when I tell her (if I ever do) about who I really am.

...I should check and make sure she doesn't have a gun when I tell her; I'd prefer a punch to the face over a bullet between the eyes.

Soon, the ship lurched suddenly, and Yoshika and I had to push against the wall with the map to avoid hitting it. Soon, we felt it lurch in the direction behind us, making us hit the floor (Yoshika hit the floor with the back of her chair, and I ended up hitting my head).

Everything became a little blurry as I tried recovering from the blow to my head, and I could hear the faint sounds of an alarm going off.

"An alarm?" Yoshika asked, "Is it the Neuroi?"

_**We wouldn't think**_** so,** Lionelis told me. _**We don't sense any Neuroi cores around the area.**_

_Wait, you can sense the other cores? _I asked the core.

**_Yes, we are able to sense them._**

_That could have really helped out back when I was actually flying!_

**_Never talked to you until during what you refer to as Operation Mars._**

_...Touché._

My vision righted itself, and we then looked at each other as we picked ourselves off the ground.

We really need to talk to the crew about hitting things that are out in the water. We don't need another _Titanic_ incident around here...

If the _Titanic_ still hit that iceberg in this universe...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

I raced below deck towards the impact site as fast as I could and found some of the crew down there.

"Sorry I'm late!" I told them as I came to a stop near them.

"It's just as you can see," one of them, an officer, replied. "Anything you can do?"

I looked at the door leading to the area where the fire was at and got an idea. "I'm on it." I let my familiar appear before I walked over to the door, ducking under a beam that was sticking out first. Grabbing the doorway with my left hand and the door itself with my right, I then attempted to open it. However, as I did so, I could hear a rumbling noise, and I soon raised my shield to protect myself against the resulting burst of flames, shielding the others behind me in the process. Once the blast occurred, I jumped back as I dismissed my magic.

"It won't do?" one of them asked.

"Yuuki," the officer said into the ship's intercom, "are you okay?"

"The fire's spread everywhere," Yuuki's voice replied. "Lower the blast doors and flood the place!"

"What?!"

I gasped as I turned my head to look at the intercom.

What should we do? We can't get in there and stop the flames. At least, we can't do it without risking ourselves as well, another blast like that would most likely kill an unprotected Witch or any of the other crew members.

What does the captain think we should do?

"Please hurry!" Yuuki continued. "Flood the area!"

"But what about you?" the officer asked.

"If you don't hurry, the ammo storage will explode! Please hurry!"

Soon the captain gave us the orders to flood the area.

"We've got orders from the captain," the officer who had been talking to Yuuki said. "Close the blast doors. Flood the area."

"Close the blast doors," the second officer repeated.

"Understood," one of the crew members said as he went over to activate the blast door.

I could only grit my teeth in frustration. I can't believe that we've got to see someone die because of this. Why?

As we heard the blast doors closing, the first officer lowered his hat and said, "I'm sorry, Yuuki."

"You're seriously going to give up just like that?" a familiar male voice asked.

I gasped as I heard that voice, and soon we looked at the newcomers: Roland and Miyafuji.

"Miyafuji!" I shouted. Why was she here of all places?

I could see that Miyafuji had a pipe in her hands, and she started running towards the door.

"Miyafuji, what are you doing?" one of us asked her as she ran by.

"We're going to take care of this ourselves," Roland added as he followed Miyafuji's lead. "I didn't come this far to see anyone die now. Not to Neuroi, not to others...not even to a collision. Get out of our way!"

"You mustn't, Miyafuji!" I shouted as I reached out and caught her left elbow, stopping her. "The blast doors are closing!" I watched Roland run past her, and he slid under the closing blast door feet first.

"There's still someone inside!" Miyafuji told me as she looked at me.

"Captain's orders!" Why is she going to head in there? Is it because Roland told her to?

"So what?!" I let go of her in shock at her change in tone, and she lunged ahead as she followed Roland's example of sliding under the blast door (on her stomach instead of feet first) before it completely closed.

"Miyafuji!" I could only shout. She's putting her own life at risk! Both her and Roland!

XXXXXXXXXX

_Yoshika's POV_

"You alright?" Roland asked me as he helped me onto my feet. "I don't think I've heard you get like that towards Sergeant Hattori since we met her."

"I'm fine," I told him as I moved to an opening that seemed to have been made by the explosion from earlier. "Let's go."

"Right."

I crawled through first and went to the valve as fast as I could, sticking the pipe I was carrying through the spokes.

"You can't give up!" I told the man who was sitting there.

"Miyafuji!" the man told me before Roland reached us. "Sage!"

"We're not about to let any lives be lost tonight," Roland added as he grabbed the handles himself. The man reached for the valve, but Roland stopped him. "Save your strength. We'll handle it." We then started trying to turn the wheel, but for some reason it wasn't turning, like something was making it stick in place.

We struggled like that for a minute before I saw something happening to Roland: the scars on his left arm started glowing as we strained to twist it, and when I took a look at his face...

His left eye was glowing red.

What...? Does he have his magic back already?

"Lionelis, give me strength!" Roland shouted to nobody in particular.

I gasped softly: who's Lionelis? Why is his body and eye acting like this right now?

...Is it the core inside him that's allowing him to do this?

Soon, we felt the valve turn completely as the sprinkler system was activated. Once that occurred, Roland's glowing features died out as he soon looked at me with a tired look in his eyes.

"We did it..." he said with a faint smile.

"We sure did," I told him as I helped the crew member onto his feet.

Soon, we could hear the sound of something being welded off followed by a crash. When the steam around here cleared enough for us to see who was there, it was Shizuka with a few other members of the crew.

"They're both alright!" one of them said.

I smiled happily. It was all thanks to Roland and me.

"Miyafuji! Sage! Yuuki!" the others said as they came in to retrieve the one called Yuuki.

I looked at the doorway and saw Shizuka simply look at us before turning around and walking away.

I think I know what she's going to do later on...I just hope Roland doesn't do anything stupid if it happens...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

I stretched my arms over my head as I was walking on the deck the next morning, having woken up about thirty minutes ago, at about six. Yoshika had been sleeping with me last night (for warmth, mind you), so naturally she woke up when I did.

That, and I think she's a little worried about Shizuka right now. She told me that the sergeant just walked off after the crisis was averted, not even congratulating us for saving a man.

Not saying that she's a bad person, but it's a bit rude to not acknowledge what someone did.

Anyways, Yoshika had grabbed a brown coat and was wearing it because the morning air was a bit...nippy.

We were traveling near Antarctica, so I think it's usually like this in the area.

We saw Shizuka on the deck as well, close to the front of the ship.

"It's cold," Yoshika noted as we stood next to Shizuka, the little Fuso ex-Witch on her left side while I stood on her right. "I thought Africa would be warmer."

"That's if we went towards the equator," I told her. "Where we're at, the sun's rays don't do as much for heat here."

I then looked at Yoshika as we felt a slight breeze blow by, who looked at Shizuka and said, "Sorry for shouting at you earlier."

"That's okay," Shizuka told her in return. "What you did wasn't. Why didn't you follow orders?"

"She saved the life of a crew member," I replied. "Isn't that more than enough to at least lighten up on her?"

"It did all work out in the end, right?" Yoshika added.

"No!" Shizuka snapped as she turned to look at the little Fuso ex-Witch. "The ship could have sunk! The captain's orders hold the greatest authority! You're both lucky it all worked out! Pure chance!"

"That was not pure chance!" I told her as I felt my right hand tighten up into a fist. "You're telling me that it was pure chance we hit an iceberg or something that threatened the entire ship and we managed to save one guy as well as said ship? You're nuts! You can't just follow orders like they were the only things out there."

"Orders are absolute, Roland!" Shizuka turned to look at me in anger. "You're the one who put the idea inside her head to go through with it, huh?"

"No way! She decided to do what we did, not me! I joined her because I didn't want her dying because I couldn't help her."

"Well, because you couldn't tell her no, you both nearly got killed! Honestly, your track record for trying to kill people is extremely high and-"

I growled. Better use my rank right now and hope nothing bad happens... "Stand down, Sergeant Hattori! That is no way to be talking to a captain of the Liberion Army!"

Shizuka stopped as she looked at me in shock. "Wait, you..."

"Yes, sergeant. I am a captain, and as such I am considered higher in rank than you. I was awarded the rank about two months ago, so lighten up on your attitude towards me and Yoshika. That's an order!"

I then watched as the sergeant snapped to attention as she replied with, "Excuse me, Captain Sage and Pilot Officer Miyafuji." She then turned and walked away from us, not even looking like she was affected by what I told her.

Wow, at least she's strong enough to not show that she was fazed by my announcement.

"Did you really have to tell her you were a captain?" Yoshika asked me as we watched her walk away.

"I didn't really want to," I told her. "But she's got to realize that she can't be treating me like I was a civilian all the time. Though...do you think she even knows who I am?"

Yoshika shook her head. "Not really. She didn't really ask me about you too much, and the only real thing I told her was that I called you 'Roland-kun' because that was what I had always called you. Well, the you she thinks is dead."

"I really hate to see how she'll react when she learns the truth. Really don't want to see if she'll actually shoot me in the head."

Yoshika looked confused for a second. "Why would she...oh..." I think she just remembered that Minna had pointed a gun at my head back when I had blurted out my secret to the girls. "Heh heh, right, forgot about Commander Minna...well, it's not like you're lying about your history."

"Yoshika, telling her that I am not related to the Neuroi Witch is about the same as me saying that I am a relative of yours. And we both know that the second case isn't true. Besides, you'll be subjected to her wrath as well for not telling her who I really am, and I can only imagine what she'll do to you..."

"Probably nothing, but for being below me in rank she sure is rather...strict."

"You've handled Gertrud before, right? Sergeant Hattori's just like her, only a sergeant. Think of a fifteen-year-old version of the captain."

...Actually, that seems to be a rather odd image to bring up. For some reason, I can't see Gertrud as being anything like, say, Lynette; she's just so...well, she's basically got the mindset of a disciplined soldier who gives no quarters and receives none.

Although, I do admit, I think I'd die of hugs and kisses if the Karlsland captain was actually all cutesy and so on.

...On second thought, I think she's got a crush on me, so maybe it's not so far-fetched.

God help us all...especially me...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Yoshika's POV_

About a week after the iceberg incident, I was busy jotting something down on my notepad that I was reading from my book.

It's been rather boring since that morning: Roland told Shizuka his rank, the sergeant was mad at us because of what we had done...

I looked at the bed the sergeant had been sleeping in, the sheets having been folded up rather nicely. According to what I can only guess, Shizuka had gone to do some training out on the deck. Now that I think about it, she went with Roland, who had told me about his plans.

I do know that the sergeant had looked a bit...disturbed?

I don't really know; since then, she hadn't really said too much to me apart from the usual things, like "Good morning, Pilot Officer Miyafuji", "Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner is ready", and "Good night, ma'am".

The worst part so far was her concerning Roland: since he told her that he was a captain, she's been in a sort of conflicted state, snapping at him about helping the men around the ship before remembering his rank and apologizing (accompanied by a quick turn around and a walk away from a slightly confused Roland).

For some reason, I feel like I should be glad, but somehow I feel that it's my fault Roland told her about his rank. I

I really should try to go find her and talk to her about some things...you know, from one female (former) Witch to another.

Standing up, I looked at her bed for a while longer before I left the room and went looking for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

You know, it's rather strange about what happened since the incident.

I mean, the strange bit wasn't that Miyafuji (and Roland) had defied orders and rescued a man last week; it was rather an odd feeling inside my stomach. Like something wasn't right with the world.

I don't know, maybe it's the guilt I had for treating the now-revealed-to-me captain the way I had. I mean, I'm trying to fix myself, I really am...but it's just so weird having to address him as a superior and not a civilian. The last time I had that sort of moment was just yesterday, when he was busy doing some push-ups with some of the other crew members. I started to correct him concerning his action before the words from that morning came to my mind, forcing me to apologize quickly and tur away before walking off to avoid being corrected myself.

Maybe if I had treated him with more respect...

Speaking of captains, I looked to my right as I was running down the runway and saw Roland doing some push-ups. He had asked some of the crew members to find him something weighty for him to lay on his back, and he was doing his exercises that way, his backpack being used as said weight.

Who trained him like that? I mean, I'm not a fitness expert, but don't you think that's a bit overboard?

Oh well, he's probably used to it, so I shouldn't bother him about it.

Soon, I stopped running and looked ahead of the ship, and what I saw lying at the horizon made me relieved.

"It's land!" I said. "Finally!"

"We're arriving in Pas-de-Calais," I heard Miyafuji's voice say as she came onto the deck.

Thinking quickly, I resumed running before I started hearing a sound that really sounded familiar.

"That sound..." I said to myself as I looked at Roland as he slid his weight (backpack) off his back and stood up. Looking up ahead, I think he saw something.

Well, two somethings.

"Witches!" I said quickly as they flew over the ship. "They're so fast!"

"Fifty bucks says I know who those two are," Roland said as we looked at the incoming Witches.

I ran towards the back of the ship before stopping. "Based on the engine sounds, that's a Gryphon Sixty-One and a Quadra Twelve! Could it be..."

"Lynne!" Miyafuji shouted out cheerfully. "Perrine!"

"Figured as much," Roland added.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

And now comes the part of my day where I have to navigate a rather...familiar situation.

I was standing right next to Yoshika's right side as she had moved herself to stand next to Shizuka's right side.

"Yoshika!" I heard Lynette Bishop shout as she and Perrine Clostermann were coming back towards the ship. "Roland!" Her arms were stretched out wide.

...Wait, she's coming in a little too low...

Oh dear...I think my head's going to hurt for a while...

Lynette caught us both in a hug, and we flew backwards for a bit before landing on the deck rather softly.

Hey, I'm just glad it's not pavement. That does not do a head good.

The girls were laughing amongst themselves as we lied there.

Okay, I'm not really going to complain about the fact that Lynette's hugging me but...

Why is it I'm thinking of Minna all of a sudden? I mean, if I remember right, they have about the same feel to their breasts-

Oh God, I've turning into Francesca as far as judging girls' breasts go!

Oddly enough, the Britannian Witch was blushing as well.

"Hey there, Lynne," I said as she let go of me and rolled onto her right side, still holding on to the little Fuso ex-Witch. I stood on my feet and crossed my arms across my chest, giving off a smile. "What brings you and Perrine here?"

"I just couldn't wait anymore, so we flew over to greet you guys!" Lynette replied.

"I couldn't wait to see you again, too!" Yoshika added, a blush on her face as well.

Hmm...something tells me I should pry into their feelings towards each other, but I'll handle it later.

"I-is that Flight Sergeant Lynette Bishop?" Shizuka asked, stunned.

"Yep," I replied as I looked at the sergeant. "You can call her 'Lynne' if you want." I then walked over to Perrine, who was coming straight down for a soft landing. "Hey there, Perrine. It's been, what, two months?"

"They never change, huh?" the Gallian Witch replied concerning Yoshika and Lynette.

"And you're-" Shizuka began as Perrine touched down. I think she connected the dots and stood to attention. "It's an honor to meet you, Lieutenant Perrine Clostermann! I am Fuso Navy Sergeant Shizuka Hattori!"

"Definitely great to see you two again," I told the Gallian Witch.

"Same here, Roland," Perrine replied. I held my right hand out so that she could shake it. "You're looking very different from when I last saw you."

"Yeah, it's the facial hair thing. I kinda grew it to help with my identity."

"I see." She then looked at Shizuka. "Now, just in case...she said her name was Sergeant Shizuka Hattori from the Fuso Navy, right?"

"Pretty much."

"Ah. I've heard of you, Sergeant Hattori. You must be tired. Travelling with Yoshika and Roland at the same time can be rough. Especially Roland when you make him mad."

I then gave off an annoyed grin. "That hurts. I'm not always getting mad."

"N-not at all!" Shizuka told the Gallian Witch quickly.

We were also hearing Yoshika and Lynette as they were trying to catch up on about two months' worth of details. From what I was hearing, it sounded a lot like the usual.

Man, I really wish I could be doing that with Minna...who knows what sort of interesting things she's learned about while I was gone.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Perrine asked me (I must have been rather obviously thinking about my girlfriend). "I know you two were a couple for about a week before that day, but..."

"It's alright, Perrine," I told her. "I'll see her again, I promise. Besides, we still are a couple, remember?"

"Who are you two talking about, sir?" Shizuka asked, a little curious. "Also, you know Captain Sage too, ma'am?"

Perrine and I looked at each other, the Gallian Witch a little confused on why I told Shizuka something about myself. "She was getting on my nerves talking bad about me, so after a while I ordered her to stand down." I then turned to face Shizuka. "As for why Perrine and Lynne know me..."

"You'll have to wait for that," Perrine added. "I think it's time for Roland here to show his true identity."

I then sighed. "Yeah, I was getting a little tired of not being who I actually was."

"Huh?" Shizuka asked, definitely more confused. "Who are you really, then?"

"I'll tell you later. For now, let's get ready to hit the docks. Don't know about you, but I'm ready to put the ship travel behind us."

I really wonder how Shizuka's going to take it when I actually tell her who I really am?

XXXXXXXXXX

About thirty minutes later, the five of us (Yoshika, Shizuka, Perrine, Lynette, and myself) were sitting in the back of one of the transport trucks that had the cover taken off of it.

"So you accompanied her and Roland by yourself?" Lynette asked the Fuso sergeant (I think I'm going to have a field day trying to tidy up my narration right now, so bear with me if I change details concerning Shizuka's name for now) concerning the fact that she escorted Yoshika and me for a month.

"My superiors took into account my admiration for her," Shizuka explained. "And my father also recommended me." She was seated next to Perrine on one side, Lynette and Yoshika (you guessed it) sitting across from them. I had my back against the cab of the truck. "As for Captain Sage...Miyafuji wanted him to come along."

"She's always been a little attached to Roland," Perrine replied. "Don't really know why."

"Maybe it's because I actually treated her with respect when I first met her. Unlike a certain Gallian Witch..." I said with a smile to show the Gallian Witch that I was not mad about it. Though you have to admit, maybe I should be a little miffed about it still; I mean, she did treat me the same way after a while...

"A part of my life I really wished I didn't have to worry about again. Anyways, Yoshika, Roland...how's Major Sakamoto doing?" I saw Perrine growing a blush on her face.

"About the same as when I last wrote to you."

"Did she mention me at any point?"

"Sorry, but I never got to see her!" Yoshika told her. "The one time I stopped by the base, she had been dispatched on some emergency mission. Roland-kun's better off telling you."

"The conversations we've had before she left usually dealt with Yoshika's father and his research for me, so I'm afraid I can't quite say that she had," I added. "It doesn't mean that she's forgotten about you. I mean, who'd forget someone with a temper like yours?"

"You know I can repay your idiocy from two months ago right now, right?" Perrine threatened.

I covered the back of my head with my hands. "You wouldn't..."

"Two months ago?" Shizuka asked, confused still (why has she not figured out who I was already?). "You mean Operation Mars?"

I then looked at the Fuso sergeant. "Yeah. I promise, I'll tell you all about me when we get to where we're going. Speaking of that...where the hell are we going?"

"You'll find out soon, Roland," the Gallian Witch replied.

I watched Yoshika look behind her and was amazed by what she saw.

"Whoa, grapes!" she called out. "They look so yummy!"

"Those grapes are used to make wine, so they'd actually be quite sour to the taste," Perrine informed us.

"In other words, something I can't drink quite yet," I added.

"What is he talking about?" Shizuka asked.

"Learn later, sergeant."

"So what do you think?" Perrine asked the little Fuso ex-Witch. "Isn't my Gallia beautiful?"

"Yes, it's really pretty!" Yoshika replied as she turned around to face the Gallian Witch.

"It's certainly a lot better than when I came last time," I told her.

"These lands are all owned by Perrine's family," Lynette added.

"That's amazing."

"Good work, guys!" Perrine told one of the pickers out in the field for the day when he waved at us.

Now I watched as Yoshika stood up after seeing something off in the distance.

"A castle!" she exclaimed in awe.

I looked at where she was looking and could see a castle off in the distance.

Ah, Perrine's place.

Hang on, that's Perrine's home? Granted she was a noble lady of Gallia, but...

What, you expected me to know what her own home looked like? I didn't spend the nights I was in Gallia there; I took a little hotel room to generate some currency for the economy.

I do have to admit that it suited Perrine quite nicely...

XXXXXXXXXX

...Although the hole in the roof wasn't exactly something I'd call perfect.

As noticed by Yoshika and myself as we stood in the bed of the truck, my backpack now on my back.

"It's still leaps and bounds better than how it was right after the liberation," Perrine informed us as we were examining her home. We then watched as she hopped off the truck.

"Welcome back, Perrine and Lynne!" we heard a girl call out.

I looked over to where the noise originated from and saw a light brown-haired girl waving at us. From my current distance, I couldn't really tell much about her appearance, but I could see that she wore a blue military jacket with a white collared shirt and a black tie underneath. as for eyes...I think they were green.

...Hey, cut me some slack: I don't even know who the girl is.

"Who's she?" I asked Lynette as I crouched and leaned in to ask the Birtannian Witch.

"Sergeant Amelie Planchard," Lynette told me. "She and Perrine are close friends."

"You learn something new every day."

"Welcome back, Lady Perrine!" a man called out from the roof.

"Miss Perrine, welcome back!" a little girl called out as a group of three girls and two boys raced up to the Gallian Witch.

"It's time for class!" one of the boys added quickly.

...Wait, Perrine's a teacher now? More things you learn every day...I think?

"I know!" Perrine replied as I watched Amelie approach her. "We made it just in time, didn't we?" She then grabbed two of the kids' hands and walked with the group.

"Welcome back, milady," a butler told her as she walked towards the front door.

Jeez, there's a lot of people who know Perrine around here.

"Is everything in order?" Perrine quizzed as the rest of us stepped out of the bed of the truck.

"The senators are here to meet you," her butler replied.

"Could that wait until I'm done with class?"

I watched the butler give off a smile. "Understood." I think he then noticed me. "Welcome to the Clostermann residence, young Master Sage."

Oh, great...the butler recognized me. Even with all the facial hair (which, now that I think about it, was a flimsy disguise option that somehow worked for as long as it did).

Come to think of it, I think I was feeling everyone's gaze.

Either word travels quickly or Perrine told them about what she knew of me (by the sounds of it, she at least left out the important bits. Like being from a different dimension and being still alive after the fact. I hope so concerning the latter).

"Hang on," Shizuka asked the butler out of confusion. "How do _you_ know Captain Sage? I don't think you two have ever met before.

"Lady Perrine told me as much as she was willing to about him. After all, Master Sage isn't a really hard man to pick out from a crowd with his achievements."

I sighed, looked at the sergeant, and asked, "Sergeant Hattori?"

"What is it, sir?" Shizuka turned to look at me.

"I think it's time I tell you who I really am." I then cleared my throat and held out my right hand. "Captain Roland Sage of the Liberion Army. Up until about two months ago, I was known as...the Neuroi Witch."

I think Shizuka blinked in shock. "Wait, you can't be the Neuroi Witch...you can't be..."

"I can assure you that I am, sergeant. Flew in the air, was a major player in the A_scension_ incident, and fought hard to protect my friends."

Shizuka looked at Yoshika for a confirmation.

"He's telling the truth," the little Fuso ex-Witch told her. "You should listen to him."

"But you..." Shizuka started as she was going through what to say right now. "Operation Mars...blew...up..." She then swooned and fell to the ground back first, unconscious.

Note to self: ask if Shizuka's alright.

"I thought she had figured it out by now," I simply said as I sighed. "Oh well." I then got down into a crouch and scooped Shizuka into a hold that made me think of carrying a bride or something. "Got a couch or a bed or something that she can lay on for a while?"

"Lynne can show you," Perrine replied. "For now, I have class to teach."

Good to see that your priorities are set...

"Lynne, who are those kids?" Yoshika asked as we parted ways, Perrine and Amelie taking the kids somewhere as Lynette was leading us to the nearest place to lay the unconscious sergeant down.

"They're orphans of the Neuroi war," Lynette explained. "Perrine took them in and provided them with a place to live."

"That's surprisingly noble of her," I replied. "Truly, very noble of her..." I lowered my head a little. "I still can't believe that all I've done is hurt people a lot more than I helped them..."

"That's not true, Roland-kun," Yoshika told me. "You helped save Venezia, Romagna, Gallia, and Britannia. You definitely helped us out more than you think."

"But..." I lied to you all back in Britannia and chose to hide when I lost my magic (even if I had a good reason to go to Fuso)...

"No buts. You promised me that you wouldn't make me worry so much."

True. "...Alright, Yosh." I smiled weakly.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And that's the end of the current chapter.**

**Along with this update, I will also be adding a new chapter to** _Strike Heroes: Himebana _**at some point this week since I have time. Considering that the last update for that project was...about a month ago, I believe, I should get one out soon.**

**Let's see, anything else?**

**Oh yeah: Since I have time, I can update more often than a week at a time, so expect the next chapter on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.**

**Anyways, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	5. Revelations of a Neuroi Witch

**Hello and welcome to the next chapter of **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Before we start, let's get to responding to th ereviews:**

_Gamerman22: _**Thanks for the review.**

_jaku uzumaki: _**Well, as much as Roland is willing to tell her. Other than that, thanks for the review.**

_majoramiruddin: _**You'd have to read the chapter to see what happens, though with Roland's luck it could go any direction. Apart from that, thanks for the review.**

_Kenshiro92: _**I'm glad to hear that you liked Shizuka's reaction. As for the idea of Gertrud acting like Lynette, it does seem like an intriguing idea (considering she's a sis-con). If she was like every day...I think Roland might lose his mind.**

_Kilo 6: _**Thanks. It's how I imagined Lionelis being like; given the core found Roland via a computer, he's be the most likely candidate for breaking the fourth wall. Well, Roland's right behind him considering his background, but he's too busy dealing with other things.**

_Takashi2019: _**You would have to read the chapter to learn your answer, but thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this one.**

_Jetfire77: _**Please see the response above concerning your question, and thanks for the review.**

**Alright, that's it for the reviews currently.**

**Let's see, where are we right now? Roland and company arrived in Gallia and met back up with Lynette and Perrine.**

**So let's see what sort of events the gang will get into in Perrine's home...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 5: Revelations of a Neuroi Witch**

It took a while to find a couch for me to lay Shizuka down on so that she could recover from the revelation I had laid on her, Lynette being our guide for finding said couch. Which was a chore in itself when you consider the fact that people were either shocked or amazed (the ones with the former were a bit fearful about the whole idea of me still being alive, saying something about divine punishment for losing faith in me or something. I don't know: it was one of the maids, but she seemed to be a sort of religious person. Those with the latter, however, seemed more interested in wanting an autograph from me. Something I had to push aside for later seeing as I was busy trying to place an unconscious Shizuka somewhere comfortable).

We found the couch about five minutes later.

Anyways, it wasn't a complete loss: because the Britannian Witch was with me (along with Yoshika), she pelted me with questions about how my research into the doctor was going. Course, that was after she hit me with a barrage of questions about how my time with Yoshika's family went.

I just told her what I knew so far concerning the research bit, which was not much.

"Ah," the Britannian Witch said as she was leading us to a room Perrine was using as a classroom. "I see...so still no connection between Yoshika's father and you?"

I sighed and replied with, "Pretty much. I'd go find his lab here in Europe but I don't even remember where it is."

"You wouldn't really be able to find anything there anyways," Yoshika said quickly. "When Sakamoto showed me when we arrived in Britannia, the place was destroyed."

I blinked as I looked at the little Fuso ex-Witch. "Crap...there goes finding a personal journal or something..."

"It's alright. But there's no reason why you can't try figuring it out even without a journal."

"True...but I only have you, my diagnostics, and the Barrier Bracelet to go off of. And the only things I have right now are you and the diagnostics. The bracelet went somewhere I don't know about."

"Oh." I think Yoshika forgot that I lost track of my special defense accessory when I was rendered unconscious following the finale of Operation Mars.

"Anyways, it's not a problem. I'm pretty sure I'll find a clue that will get me in the right direction. Until then, I guess I'll keep an eye on you." Pretty much what I've been doing so far, right?

Yoshika nodded her head. "Alright."

About two minutes later, Lynette led us into a room that had a lot of desks set up along with a chalkboard.

"Oh, good," Perrine said as she and Amelie were next to the chalkboard. Both girls looked at us once we stepped inside completely. "You made it. Lynne, Yoshika, can you keep the younger ones busy? There's some paper and crayons for them to use in the back. Roland, I guess you can sit there and watch or something."

"I can help out," I added as I walked up to the front. "After all, you're letting us stay here. The least we can do is assist." I stopped between Perrine and Amelie and turned to face the children.

Perrine nodded in agreement. "Alright." To the rest of the class, she announced, "Today, we've got a special guest. This is Roland Sage, the Neuroi Witch."

I waved my right hand. "Hi. I'll try my best to not look like a fool."

Grabbing a piece of chalk, Perrine started writing down a few problems, and soon we were teaching the kids, Amelie walking around the students as she helped those who were struggling while I wrote down the scratch work and Perrine explained the details of how the answers were found.

You know, I really missed being a kid: where the math wasn't that complicated (compared to the math I'd be taking now) and you had kind people to help you when you needed it.

...While I'm not too sure about Perrine, she does seem to have a soft spot for these kids.

I also watched as Yoshika and Lynette were with two of the younger kids as said kids were doodling on pieces of paper using crayons.

Yeah, definitely miss being a kid...

"Who knows the solution to this problem?" Perrine asked the class as she wrote down a problem.

I closed my eyes and sighed. It really is good to relax.

Though, to be honest...I'm a little worried as well. Once Shizuka wakes up and remembers what I told her, I can't be sure about what she decides to do to me. She could shoot me, but I don't think I saw a gun. To my knowledge, the only gun we had at the moment was that pistol in my backpack, and I really doubt anyone knows about it at the moment.

At least, I hope no one else does...it'd be ironic, I guess: being shot with your own gun.

Maybe not...don't mind me...

And I could hear footsteps coming into the room.

I opened my right eye and saw that Shizuka had finally woken up and had come into the room. Must have been only a mild shock for her.

Our eyes met briefly before she nodded her head rather...sadly as she took a spot near a windowsill to the right of the room (from my view). When I opened my other eye and looked at her to see if she was fine, she turned her head away from me as she looked down.

Great...I get to find out how Shizuka took my news later...

When, though?

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're amazing, Perrine!" Yoshika said as we stepped outside for a while, the kids running off to play while Amelie joined them to keep an eye on them. "You can even teach!"

"It's the least you can expect from a high-born lady," Perrine replied.

"What about me?" I asked the little Fuso ex-Witch.

"Oh, right!" Yoshika added quickly. "I forgot that you were helping her out. Honestly, you're a good teacher but I can't see you in a teaching position."

I grimaced slightly. "You're making it sound like I'm only a glorified Neuroi-killing machine when you say it like that..."

Yoshika blushed slightly. "Sorry."

"Anyways," Perrine told us. "I have business to attend to, so can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, what?" Yoshika asked.

"Could you cook dinner with the children before they're completely worn out? The four of you together."

...Somehow, I think I know the answers that were coming. At least, two of them.

"Sure," Lynette replied.

"Okay!" Yoshika added cheerfully.

"Cooking..." I heard Shizuka say.

We all turned to look at the sergeant, who looked a little depressed.

"What's wrong, Hattori?" Perrine asked.

Shizuka then gave off a gasp of surprise before she replied with, "I'll be delighted to help!"

"I guess I could help out," I continued before I snapped my fingers. "But before I do...do you have a phone I can use? I've been out of touch with You-Know-Who for a while, so I really need to let her know what's going on."

"Sure," Perrine told me. "Ask the butler you saw earlier and tell him I said it was okay."

"Okay." I gave a quick salute to the girls. "I'll be back before you know it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes of finding the butler in question later, and I was now at a phone, the device to my right ear.

I definitely ain't going to complain too much about the technology here on account of having been here for about a year now (Yoshika's birthday had occurred about two weeks after we left Fuso, so it has to be over a year), but why is it that a phone in this time period actually looked like it didn't need labels while a toaster has to have some for newcomers?

Dialing the operator, I asked her for a line to Saint Trond's base, adding that I would like to reach Minna's phone specifically. When asked for a reason, I simply told her who I was.

It went about as well as you'd guessed: a bit of questioning and a reply of consent before she connected me to the receiving phone.

I feel sorry for the operators in this time period: I mean, I think we still have some operators in our time, but we have voicemail for leaving voice messages and cell phone for calling remotely. These guys/girls (I think there's some guys there. What do I look like, an operator myself?) have a lot of wires to deal with, and they have to connect calls for lots of people.

I think that's how it works. Don't know; I'm not an operator, and I might be overthinking the idea anyways.

And now cue the tone used while you wait for someone to pick up.

...

...

...Still waiting...

...

...

"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Minna speaking," my girlfriend's voice said through the other end.

"Hi, Minna," I greeted. "It's me, Roland."

"_Mein Gott__!_ Roland!" I definitely think Minna was surprised to hear my voice again. "Where have you been for the last month? I tried calling the Miyafuji clinic but they said that you and Miyafuji were gone for a while."

"Yeah, sorry..." I scratched the back of my head with my left hand (my right was holding the phone to my right ear). "We've been on a carrier for the last month."

"Carrier? Where are you right now?"

"We're in Gallia currently. I'm using Perrine's phone right now."

"I see...so how was the trip?"

"About the same as any ship: wavy. Also crashed into an iceberg..."

"Iceberg? That certainly doesn't sound nice...are you alright?"

"Yeah, surprised we didn't end up like the _Titanic_. Anyways, what about you?"

"Well, Trude, Hartmann, and I are over here in Belgica, of course. We've been busy for a while, what with the Neuroi and all..."

Ah, yes. The menace that can't be understood because no one else really seems to be able to understand them in their native language. "I see. The usual, then?"

There was a slight pause. "Yeah, let's go with that."

...What's with the pause? "Alright then. Anyways, I wanted to chat with you for a while. If you have time, I mean."

"I'm a little busy, but I can take a little time to talk. So, why are you in Gallia?"

"Yoshika. She's going to Helvetia."

"Helvetia? What for?"

"There's a medical school that wanted her to be there, so she's going. With a visa, of course."

"And you?"

I sighed. "The usual."

"Ah. Miyafuji?"

"Yep. We're also being escorted by a Sergeant Shizuka Hattori."

"Sergeant?"

"Yeah, she's one of the Witches Mio trained at the academy, I guess."

"Oh. Mio..." I think she got a sad tone in her voice.

"Erm...is anything wrong, dear?"

"It's nothing...I do have to say that it's strange that you called me that. 'Dear'..."

"True. I've gotten used to calling you by your first name when we talked informally. Before we got together, mind you."

"Well, anyways...I haven't talked to Mio for a while, at least not since a week after Operation Mars."

"About the same time as most of us."

"What about you? Have you talked to anyone else aside from me?"

"Well, I've kept in touch with Lynne, Perrine, and Yoshika. Other than that, not really. Oh, and I chatted with Mio as part of my research. Apparently she went off for some mission after a while."

"I see. I really hope she's going to be fine without her magic. Anyways, I have to go. Life over here isn't all sunshine and rainbows, you know."

"Nowadays, you'd be surprised. I'm planning on coming to Saint Trond once Yoshika arrives at her school, so I'll try keeping in touch with you when I can. Anyways, it really was nice to chat with you again."

"Likewise. And Roland...please be careful."

Why is she telling me that? "I'll try my best, but no promises. At least until we see each other again."

"Love you."

"Love you too." I hung up the phone and turned around as I went to look for either the kitchen or someone who can point me in the right direction.

What's going on right now with the Neuroi? Minna sounded a bit...different concerning them. Are the Neuroi pushing an offensive since I was "killed"?

I shrugged my shoulders as I walked.

I'm pretty sure Minna and the others have it under control. After all, they went two campaigns without dying, and with me to boot. If they can't handle the Neuroi now, I'd be a monkey's uncle.

...On second thought, I don't really want to be throwing poo around the place.

I'll never understand my own mind sometimes...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think preparing dinner is the toughest thing I have ever done.

The only reason why I say that was because I was busy figuring out how to peel a potato with a knife, said knife in my right hand as the potato laid in my left hand.

What do I do? Should I do it like my cooking partners and peel it in a circle or should I just peel like I was shaving bits of wood off while making a wood sculpture?

...I really have no idea how to cook, but if I don't do something then I'll make myself look bad in front of Miyafuji and Bishop.

Might as well try...

Without really thinking, I started peeling the potato by slicing off some of the skin along with some of the potato.

Oh well, at least I'm not doing it in front of Roland...then again, maybe I should go over to his last name seeing as he's the same Neuroi Witch who was supposed to be dead...

My next slice was a little more violent once I thought about that.

Since we're on the subject of the Neuroi Witch: why the hell did Roland decide not to let the world know that he was still alive and was able to fight? It made no sense!

Humanity's first human/Neuroi Witch, and the best thing he does at the end of Operation Mars was to _just drop off the face of the earth?!_

"Shizuka, are you okay?" I heard Miyafuji ask as I think she and Bishop noticed my behavior currently.

I turned around quickly while wearing a pink apron and looked at the girls (who wore white aprons themselves) before I turned my attention to the items in my hands. Hiding them behind my back, I replied with, "I-I'm fine!"

"You sure? It looks like something's bothering you..."

Should I tell them about how I felt about Roland's identity?

"Alright," I heard the Neuroi Witch's voice say as he came into the kitchen before I could even say anything. "I'm back from my little errand." He then stopped and examined each of us, taking a lot longer to stare at me. "No offense, sergeant, but I don't really think pink looks good on you."

I was flustered: what does he mean by this color not looking good on me? "For your information, sir, it was the only one left."

Roland held his hands in front of him defensively. "Alright, alright. I won't push the issue. Besides, I really don't want to be cleaning up my own blood right now." He then began looking around for a spare apron, finding a blue one and putting it on.

I took the items out from behind my back and, turning back around, resumed peeling the potato.

_Baka_...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Yoshika's POV_

A while later, we had set the table for dinner and had everything we cooked on said table. Today's dinner was Fuso-themed, to commemorate us arriving in Gallia safely.

At least, I think that was the reason. Then again, it really was nice to cook without having to worry about Shizuka yelling at me for cooking.

Though, to be fair, we weren't on a military ship right now; we were inside Perrine's home. Besides, Roland had helped us, and he did tell her to lighten up.

"Is this Fuso food?" Amelie asked us as we were all sitting at the table, ready to say grace.

"You bet," Roland replied.

"Let's eat then," Perrine added before we started saying grace.

How we would do them in Fuso, since the meal was themed around Shizuka's and my home country.

Really good that Roland knows a bit of Fuso words (or as he put it once, Japanese), but it's all thanks to me and Sakamoto teaching him.

Once we finished with our pre-meal ritual, Roland added, "You know, this feels a lot like Thanksgiving. Minus the turkey. And the cranberries." We then watched as he cupped his right hand around his chin as he was continuing his list. "And the stuffing. And the-"

"Would you kindly eat, Roland?" The Gallian Witch looked a little irked that Roland was going off on a tangent right now.

"Are you okay, Mister Roland?" one of the kids asked Roland.

"Just dandy," the boy replied as he nodded his head and gave off a warm smile. "Let's feast."

And so we started eating dinner, the kids enjoying the meal so far. Even I was enjoying it as I commented on how it tasted like it was from home.

"Thanks," Lynne told me. "There's loads more."

Soon, Perrine lifted up a cup of miso soup that she had and sniffed the aroma carefully, saying, "This smells so good!" She then looked at Shizuka. "Were you the one who made the miso soup, Hattori?"

I then looked at Shizuka as she stood up quickly and replied with, "I-I'd be overjoyed if you liked it!"

"Whoa, slow down there, sergeant," Roland told her calmly. "It's a compliment. Nothing to fret over."

We then grabbed our respective cups of miso soup and, using a spoon meant for soup, scooped a bit up and placed it in our mouths.

Which didn't seem to go very well...

"Ew, gross!" the little boy next to me said.

I think I agreed with him as I lowered the cup (I had taken to doing it how I was used to drinking it: from the cup itself) and looked a little bummed out, like I had lost a goldfish or something.

"It's sour..." a little girl to the left of Lynne added.

"Is this even miso soup?" Lynne asked carefully.

I then looked at Perrine, whose face looked like she was contemplating on what to say.

"The taste is quite unique..." the Gallian Witch said slowly.

When I looked back at Shizuka, she was starting to look like she was going to freak out. She was looking at Roland as he was still drinking the "miso soup".

Once he put the cup down, he had this to say: "Well, it certainly does taste different from the last time I had miso soup. Which I can't even remember the last time I had some. I'd probably say that it was a good attempt on Sergeant Hattori's part, so...I dub it a Sea-Minus."

A C-?

"You're giving it a grade?" Perrine and Shizuka both asked, the latter out of shock and the former out of confusion.

"Hey," the boy started as he looked at the Fuso sergeant. "Be glad it's a Sea-Minus. What, do you really want me to give you a Dee-Plus?"

That last statement seemed to have gotten Shizuka upset as she apologized to all of us.

"Besides," Roland added once she stopped apologizing, "my taste buds aren't exactly what they used to be right now, so it's not really my position to be judging."

Hmm? What does he mean by that?

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

"Alright, Roland. I think that, seeing as you're here, we will conduct a bit more of your lessons."

Such were the words that Perrine said once we got done with dinner. For now, we were standing in what appeared to be a ballroom of sorts.

"And which lesson would that be, Perrine?" I asked innocently. We're in a ballroom (I think we're in one; the room looked like you could fit a thousand people in it), so...

Perrine held out her right hand. "Why, a ballroom dance, of course. I can't believe that you haven't got the hint."

Actually... "I figured." I grabbed her hand gently with my left hand and got into the position for a waltz. "I've been practicing in my spare time with Yoshika, so I'm not as rusty as you might think."

"Alright. Let's see what you've got."

I watched as one of the kids raced over to a radio that was nearby and turned it on, filling the room with some classical music. "Here we go."

And so it went; Perrine and I were in sync the entire way as we danced across the floor. Well, we were mostly in sync: I had almost fallen over after accidentally tripping over my feet, but other than that it was a pretty good dance.

Then it was some of the others' turns: Yoshika was first after Perrine, and that went rather well. Then Amelie decided to try her hands at dancing with me. It was slightly slower, but we did dance with nothing happening. Then it was Lynette's turn, and that also didn't go too bad (didn't really help that the Britannian Witch, in classic clumsiness, nearly knocked me over when she tripped and fell against my chest).

Finally, I stood next to Shizuka as I was recovering from my dancing spree for a while, watching some of the kids trying their hands at the dance.

"You sure know a lot about dancing, sir," Shizuka told me as we looked at the kids.

"I wasn't always so good at it," I replied. "Heck, the first time I tried the waltz with Perrine, I tripped and sent us to the ground hard. It darn well hurt for a bit, I'll tell you that."

I think Shizuka turned to look at me. "Why are you sounding like that?"

"Huh?" I looked at her. Yep, she was looking at me. Rather curious, she was. "Sound like what?"

"Your choice of words just now. Back on the _Amagi_, you didn't hesitate to use different words when you talked, like, you know...So why now?"

I gestured to the kids. "I try to make it a point not to use language like that in front of kids. Just how I was raised; I never really got to use them a lot when I was younger, but I knew and heard them from others. I did use them, yeah, but there's only one word I use very rarely, and that's when I'm beyond calming down."

"Ah. Your childhood must have been rather...normal, considering that you didn't join the Strike Witches until you were eighteen."

You have no idea, Shizuka...you truly don't. "Anyways..." I stood up straight and held out my left hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"Dance?" Shizuka looked a little embarrassed...and she was now blushing. "N-no...I don't really know how to dance..."

"I'll teach you a bit then." I grabbed her right hand and led her to the middle of the floor. "Alright, let's go with a basic dance for now. Let's see...your right hand goes here and you have your left hand this high..." I placed her right hand on the left side of my hips and raised her left hand to about my head's height. "Now, let's go a bit slow so that you can get used to it. Move your right foot back first."

"Alright..." Shizuka moved her right foot back about a foot.

"Good, now move your left to join it."

"Okay..." She did as I said, and I moved my right foot ahead, my left joining a second later.

"Move left foot left a bit."

"How much?"

Right, never danced before... "About shoulder width."

"Alright...erm..."

"Don't know your own shoulder width?"

"I do know, sir! I just...erm..." Shizuka moved her left foot about two feet, my right foot going at the same time.

"Now, bring your right foot to your left."

We soon had our feet together again. "Now what, sir?"

"Now, you'll do what I did while I do what you did so that we get back to our starting point."

Shizuka blinked. "Oh...that's it?"

"For basics. Ready?" We reversed our roles as we moved back to where we started. "Good. It's how I started when I first learned how to dance with a partner. Ready to try again?"

"What?"

"Just dance like I showed you. Alright?"

"Erm, alright..."

And so, we danced like that for a while, Shizuka seeming like she was focusing on her footwork a lot.

Don't really blame her: she's probably been raised more like a soldier or something than a normal girl.

Then again, around here the Witches I've met had their childhood interrupted by the Neuroi. They must have had to grow up rather quickly. Well, the higher-ranked ones at least.

Though...is she still okay about what I told her earlier?

XXXXXXXXXX

_Perrine's POV_

Later on, when everyone had fallen asleep, I found myself opening my eyes slowly.

As I sat up, I glanced at the bed straight across from the one I was in, which was supposed to have Hattori laying on it. I slipped on my glasses sleepily as I looked and noticed that she wasn't sleeping in said bed.

I then took a look around the rest of the room: Yoshika and Lynne were laying on the bed right next to mine, the little Fuso ex-Witch sleeping against the Britannian Witch's right side. I think I saw Yoshika's right hand on one of Lynne's breasts.

Laying next to the now-open door leading to the balcony was Roland, who was just laying on a blue blanket I had gotten out for him to sleep on as he was dressed in his sleepwear from his time spent as the Neuroi Witch.

Hmm...I'm thinking that Hattori took a step outside for some reason. Better go and see if she's alright...

I got up quietly and, grabbing a warm coat, softly walked over to the open door.

"What are you doing up, Perrine?" Roland asked me sleepily as he started stirring.

"Huh?" I asked in a low voice to avoid waking the others up. "Oh, it's just you, Roland. Why are you waking up?"

"Someone left the window open or something. Could you close it for me since you're up?"

"Uh, sure." Why is he worried about an open door?

I stepped outside and closed the door just enough to make Roland happy (I still left it open a crack to avoid making a clicking sound), and sure enough I found Hattori standing at the railing as she looked out into the open.

"Are you still thinking about what happened over dinner?" I asked her.

"Flying Officer!" Hattori replied as she turned around to see me. "No...Well, yes! I'm so sorry."

I just smiled as I walked until I was next to her and looked out at the open world myself. "Long ago, I too believed that only cooks were meant to cook."

"Pretty much everyone in my family is a soldier, so..."

I then closed my eyes briefly before looking at her. "Turns out you were born a Witch, so you were brought up with the high standards of soldiers in mind and never found the time to learn how to cook, right?"

"Yes. There are hardly any Witches in our family, so both my father and grandfather expected a lot from me."

"Having grown up in an environment like that, I'm not surprised you're annoyed at Miyafuji or Roland."

I think I found something she disagreed with. "That's not it! Pilot Officer Miyafuji is the pride of Fuso! She's an outstanding Witch who liberated Europe."

"What about Roland, then?" I went back to looking at the natural world.

"Captain Roland Sage was important to history as being the first recorded male Witch to fly into combat for this war. He's also the only one so far to have a Neuroi core inside him."

I sighed as I looked back at her. "But they don't really fit the soldier profile, do they? Miyafuji can't follow regulations and disregards orders she doesn't fancy while Roland has the same mindset sometimes...minus the regulations, he tries to follow those most of the time. He even has slight bursts of anger. They're both a total mess." I watched as Hattori looked away briefly. "'I hate the war'. That was the first thing Miyafuji said when she first joined the Five Hundred and First, and Roland said something similar a few hours before Gallia was liberated, especially given his position in the world. Miyafuji said what she said in a room full of people whose homelands had been defiled by the Neuroi. 'What are you doing here, then?' I was pretty angry." I then turned to face Hattori, who was still standing there in slight surprise. "But much to our surprise, the Five Hundred and First got even stronger after they joined. Without them, we probably would have failed to save Gallia."

"I'd have to agree with you on that one, Perrine," we heard Roland's voice say as we turned to face the boy, who was standing in the doorway. "But we know that Yoshika's the one who made the final move that day. I just saved her from the Warlock."

I was surprised. "Roland, what are you doing up?"

Roland shrugged his shoulders slowly. "Someone didn't finish closing the door, so I got up and was about to do it when I heard the two of you talking."

I grew a slight blush on my face. "Eh...sorry about that..."

"No need to apologize, Perrine."

"Captain Sage?" Hattori asked him quickly. When I looked at her, she looked a bit upset. "I've wanted to ask you something when I got a chance..."

"What is it, sergeant?" Roland replied as he looked at her in curiosity.

I looked at the Fuso sergeant, whose hands had balled up into fists. "Why...why didn't you come back out and keep fighting? Why?"

Roland looked shocked beyond how he was normally. "Shizuka?"

"You had the whole world arguing over whether you were still alive, and if so whose side you were on. People are still falling to the Neuroi, the same enemy we Witches swore to stop, and you decided to just go into hiding like a coward and forget all about what was going on?!"

Roland flinched as he added in a saddened voice, "Sergeant Hattori..." It's not hard to see why he'd be upset now. He had made the choice he made because he wanted to know more about what was going on, but at the same time he didn't want to leave Commander Minna.

"We needed you, sir! No one else could have done what you did! Why, captain?! _Why?!_"

Roland tightened his hands into fists as he turned his head away, to his left, and looked at the ground. "You don't understand..."

"I can't believe I actually looked up to you. I thought you were great because you were the Neuroi Witch, the first male to take to the air, but now I can see that you're nothing like the man I worshipped!"

"Hattori, that's enough!" I snapped. "Roland's not a coward, and you shouldn't say those sorts of things about him!"

"Look at him, ma'am!" Hattori waved her left hand to show Roland's current state. "Is this the man you flew with to liberate Gallia and Venezia, or is this the vermin that chose to give up?"

"Of course he's the same person I flew with! Every one of us in the Strike Witches, Sergeant Dracon included, can say that he's truly the Neuroi Witch we flew alongside. He's not a vermin, sergeant!"

"Sergeant Shizuka Hattori..." Roland started as he shook his head and gave off a look of determination before looking at us. Well, Hattori, to be more specific. "What do you know about Operation Mars? Besides me being pronounced 'dead'?"

"Pilot Officer Miyafuji destroyed the Neuroi hive's core over Venezia, freeing you from its grip," Hattori told him. "However, you were found unconscious. The newspaper I saw at the time showed that you were laying on an infirmary bed along with the article stating that you were pronounced dead two days after the operation. Miyafuji was promoted for her deed and the world thought you were dead...until now..."

Roland sighed. "You're right; the brass had declared me dead, but I woke up five days later, sergeant. Captain Gertrud Barkhorn, Major Mio Sakamoto, and two others were my witnesses along with my girlfriend. The clothes I wore were damaged and had been given to Lynne for unknown reasons, so I wore what Lynne and Perrine bought for me with some borrowed money, and Yoshika's family bought me some extra clothes to help fit in more easily. Besides, even if I wanted to keep fighting...I can't."

"Why? Afraid of dying in the air after nearly being killed that way? Witches face that threat every day, so how are you any different?"

"Sergeant...I'm just like Yoshika: my magic's completely dry, having been sacrificed to keep my Neuroi core from shutting down after I performed a Neuroi Explosion."

For the first time since the whole conversation, I think Hattori looked genuinely horrified. "Wait, you're..."

"Yes, sergeant. I may be a coward in your eyes for choosing not to continue fighting despite my magic loss, but I chose what I thought was best: going to Fuso to learn what I could about Doctor Miyafuji. If I hadn't, then I'd already be in Belgica with my girlfriend and her teammates."

"I..."

I gave off a sigh.

"You don't get it, do you?" I said much more calmly. "You better get some sleep, you two. We have to wake up early tomorrow. Especially you, Roland: there's a surprise waiting for you tomorrow." I then walked back into the room and, after taking off what I had slipped on to head outside, laid back down and went back to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

"Sir, I..." Shizuka started once Perrine made her final remark and walked back inside to go back to sleep.

"It's perfectly alright, sergeant," I told her as we watched Perrine head back to bed. "No need to apologize. In fact, if you really want to..." I then turned to her and tapped my right cheek with my right index finger. "I'll give you a free one. Make it as hard as you want: I won't hold it against you at all."

"Sir?" Shizuka asked, confused.

"I've found that it's the perfect way for a girl who's angry at me to vent her rage. Trust me, you'll never hurt me as much as a magic-enhanced Karlsland captain using me as a punching bag. So come on, give me your best shot."

I watched as Shizuka's left fist rose into the air, ready for a left hook, before she opened it and delivered a fierce slap across the cheek I let her hit.

_SLAP!_

"Ow..." I only groaned as Shizuka lowered her head.

"That's for making the whole world think that you died..." the sergeant told me before she caught me in a hug, her arms wrapped around my chest and behind my back. "And this is for finally giving me a chance to meet the real you. _Sōrī..._"

"_Daijōbudesu._"

Shizkua let go of me suddenly. "You know the Fuso language?"

"Yeah. Who do you think taught me it? Anyways, I'm not perfect at it, especially given that I've got Romagnan, Gallian, Karlslandish, Suomos, Orussian, and Hispanish to deal with as well."

"...Amazing..."

"It's no small feat, and like I said I'm not perfectly fluent in any of them. Well, I've practiced Hispanish before the others, but Britannish will always be my mother tongue." I then nodded my head. "Anyways, I do bid you good night, sergeant. We can chat some more in the morning if you wish." I then turned and followed Perrine's example, this time going to the makeshift bed I had.

I had barely laid down for a minute before I saw Shizuka step inside and walk over to where I was laying down.

"What is it, sergeant?" I asked her quietly so as not to wake up the others.

"Um..." the Fuso sergeant started with a blush. "Do you...do you mind if I lay down with you?"

I raised my right eyebrow. "That's what you want?"

"Well...after noticing Miyafuji sleeping with you, I wanted to see what she felt when she did it."

"You ask me, it'd be breast-free. Which makes it all the more enjoyable to see her sleeping with Lynne." I then glanced at the little Fuso ex-Witch as she was still snuggled up with Lynette, even going as far as having her face near the Britannian Witch's breasts.

Shizuka looked at the duo before looking back at me. "Don't you feel a little... put off about them sleeping like that?"

"Personally, not really. I was raised in Liberion, so I believe in the whole 'rights' thing. Trust me, I chose to go against my fair share of orders. Besides, if Yoshika wants to end up being with Lynne, what's to stop her? The way I see it, you Witches don't really interact too much with men, do you?"

"Of course we do...but not really personally with other men, even those who are Witches, a lot...which is why you're so special..."

"Please, I'm just one man with a core inside me."

**_A core that's helped you out a lot, you_ _know, _**Lionelis fired off.

_I know that, Lio,_ I told him. To Shizuka, I added, "Basically, I put my pants on like any other man: one leg at a time. Anyways, you sure you want to lay down with me?"

"Yeah..." the sergeant replied.

"Well, come on. But no funny business, alright? Minna at least tolerates Yoshika and Sanya hugging on to me when they laid with me."

Now I think I made her shocked. "Hang on...are you talking about...?"

"Yes: Lieutenant Colonel Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, wing commander of the Strike Witches, is the girlfriend of the Neuroi Witch, very-much-alive and now-Captain Roland Sage. Is that what you wanted me to say?"

"Erm...yeah...Anyways, we better get some sleep." I watched as Shizuka laid down on my right side, her back to me. "It's not that I don't trust you, captain, but I don't really want to do anything you'd get mad about."

"Alright, whatever floats your boat." I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**...And that's the end of the current chapter.**

**In other news, I will be updating** _Strike Heroes: Himebana _**as well, so feel free to read that afterwards.**

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	6. Change of Clothes, and They're Off!

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Important announcement: we are now about halfway through this story with the addition of this chapter. Now I just need an editor to make fireworks and this would be a perfect announcement, but these are just words on a screen at the moment...**

**Anyways, before we get going, let's take a look at the reviews:**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: Your review kinda caught me off guard until I thought back on what I know about Shizuka at the moment: given her reactions towards Yoshika and Roland (her admiration towards both) coupled with the fact that she doesn't take too kindly to the latter causing problems (pretty much most of the things he's done up to this point). As for the other part of your review, I will be on the lookout. Apart from that, thanks for the review.**

_Gamerman22_**: Ironically, that is pretty accurate. Let's just say that the title says it all. **

_majoramiruddin_**: Thanks for the review.**

_Jetfire77_**: Thanks. It was a bit difficult to make it like that, but I'm glad to hear that it paid off.**

_jaku uzumaki_**: That part is a while away, but it will eventually happen. Though how it happens will be a mystery for the moment. Other than that, thanks for the review.**

**Alright, that's it for the reviews right now.**

**Last time we saw our Helvetia-bound trio, they had spent the night at Perrine's, so it's time for them to get moving towards the next leg of their journey...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 6: Change of Clothes, and They're Off!**

_**Dear Minna,**_

_**It's me again.**_

_**It's really strange that I've taken to renaming who gets my letters from "Letter" to you at the moment. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but it was just something that I had thought of.**_

_**Anyways, we're leaving Perrine's castle and making our way to Helvetia. I have no idea what path we're taking, but I trust Shizuka to keep Yoshika safe. Since, you know...I can't.**_

_**...Yeah, I'm still a little down in the dumps concerning the possible actions I've taken in concealing my identity now that I've seem some of the reactions so far.**_

_**Where do I start?**_

_**Well, Shizuka, when I got up to see what she and Perrine were talking about, decided to ask me why I didn't stay around and fight. It took me a while, but I told her the truth: I couldn't take to the air again because I had lost my magic.**_

_**Well...I guess that statement's not too accurate: Lionelis says that my body's regenerating the lost magic but adds that even if I regained my reserves that I might never fly again, a fact I'm trying my best to hide from Yoshika.**_

_**But you know what? If I have the capability to regain my magic after what I did then what's to stop Yoshika's body from doing the same thing?**_

_**...Yeah, I know: wishful thinking. I'm still a little upset that I was the reason why she lost her magic...it should have just been me...**_

_**Anyways, I guess I better explain what happened to me today...**_

Waking up the next morning, we ate some breakfast (it was a rather big feast considering a lot of orphaned kids, our host, myself, two best friends, and Shizuka. In case you ask, it was eggs, bacon, some toast, and... I think that was it. It was a lot of eggs-oh yeah! Potatoes as well, something Perrine paled slightly at the sight of when Yoshika mentioned it) before we would leave.

If we were going to leave right after, which sadly wasn't the case.

Instead, Perrine and Lynette had asked me to come with them, the Gallian Witch asking Yoshika and Shizuka to hang tight while they dealt with me.

"Okay, you two," I said as I now stood inside a bathroom, looking slightly confused. "Why are the three of us in here?" This better not be something...you know, never mind. I am not going to say anything in order to avoid it happening.

"Lynne and I were thinking that you really need to get back to your roots," Perrine told me. "Especially given that Shizuka and pretty much everyoneAnd what better way than to shave off the facial hair you've grown?"

Wait, you want to do what? "What's wrong with my facial hair? I happen to be rather proud of it."

"While I wouldn't really deny it, your current look doesn't exactly say who you are."

"Duh, I've been hiding my true identity. Give me some credit."

"Anyways, I thought I'd take the liberty of shaving it for you." Perrine walked over to a shelf that was nearby and rummaged around before producing a straight-edge razor. "Speaking of that, where's your razor? Probably be better to use that instead."

"I think it's in my bag." Wait, I lost it, didn't I? I can't remember right now.

"Ah. Just asking." To Lynette, who was standing in the doorway, she added, "Lynne, can you grab what you wanted to give Roland before they leave?"

"Right," Lynette replied as she went off to get whatever the surprise was.

"Good, now that she's gone...can you come over to the sink and face me?"

"Sure?" I asked more than said as I did as she told me. She then found some shaving cream and, after taking some out of the container, rubbed her hands together.

"Can you wet your face really quick?"

"Yeah." I turned on the water and splashed water around the my chin. "Can you just leave the mustache for now, though? I'd like to keep it for a while longer."

"Whatever floats your boat." Perrine then applied it to the area I wet, even getting under my chin and near my neck. She then rinsed her hands off and, grabbing the razor, placed it against my neck gently. "Now, please don't move." She then brought the razor to my chin, beginning the shaving process.

"You know how to give a man a shave?"

"It's something you learn, Roland."

"True. You never know when you'll need to do something like this, huh?"

"Yeah." She stopped shaving to rinse off the blade before getting back to work. "It's a shame you'll probably have Commander Minna do this, huh?"

I made the best puzzled expression I could make without using the muscles around my mouth (my best attempt was to simply lower one eyebrow). "Perrine? I can manage shaving my own face. If Minna wants to do it for me, that's her choice. I'm not going to force her to do it if that's what you're worried about."

"...You really are something sometimes. You and Yoshika..."

"Aw, but you wouldn't want us any other way, huh, Pierrette?"

Perrine chuckled. "You might be right. It'd be strange if one or both of you were completely different. And I'm not counting your occasional outburst of rage before you lost your magic." She kept shaving my face until I had no hair left around my chin. "There. It'd be a lot better if you lost the mustache, but at least you look more recognizable."

"Thanks." I felt my chin and whistled. "You did a hell of a good job, Perrine." It really felt like (and I know this gets used a lot) a newborn baby.

"Thanks. It's the least I can do..."

"Alright, I got what I wanted to give him," we heard Lynette say as she came back. Turning to face her, I saw that she had some clothes in her arms.

Somehow, those clothes look familiar...

"Lynne..." I started as I walked up to her. "Are those my clothes from before?" It was true: in her arms were my vest, shirt, and cargo pants. The same ones Minna said the Britannian Witch had for some reason.

"Yep," Lynette told me cheerfully. "After we got you back to the base and changed your clothes, I asked Commander Minna if I could take your clothes in to be repaired. She said it was okay, so when I got back home I looked around for a good tailor. He managed to fix the pants' tears from your...incident as best as he could, so I held on to them when he finished with the repairs. I hope you're not mad for that."

"Not really. After two months of wearing something like this..." I indicated my current attire. "I got used to not having my old clothes. Though now that you're giving them to me...I guess it's time for the Neuroi Witch to return to the scene even if he can't fly, huh?" I frowned a bit. "It's a bit sad, really: do either of you think I'm a coward for choosing how I chose?"

"Roland?" the girls asked me. Perrine had at least some right to ask given that Shizuka had accused me of being one in front of her.

"Sorry, but before Sergeant Hattori learned about my true identity, she told me that she took my choice of going into hiding as being a coward. I don't know, but..." I sighed. "What do you two think?"

"I don't think you're a coward," Lynette told me with a serious look on her face. "You and Yosh have done so much for us before you lost your magic. It's hard to take you for anything else, Roland."

"But the choice I made that day..."

"While we're still slightly mad that you tried tossing your life away like that during Operation Mars," Perrine added, "we at least know that you made the choice that made the most sense. Besides, if you hadn't done what you did that day, then Major Sakamoto would have gone in instead, and that's something that, while it might be selfish of me to say, I'm grateful for, Roland."

I nodded my head slowly. "You're right...sorry..."

"It's alright. You're probably receiving the feelings you needed to let catch up right now. Anyways, we'll let you get dressed in peace." Lynette gave me my clothes before the girls took their leave.

Setting my clothes on the edge of the sink, I picked up my vest and looked at the decal on the back. The decal Minna had gotten added to it as a gift. It still looked a little rugged from the skidding I did when Gertrud crashed into me while testing the Jet Striker.

I frowned slightly.

I've got too much memories of those girls...and all I've done is hurt their feelings a lot more than I helped them.

Am I still the Roland I came into this world as, or am I becoming something else?

I felt the decal and could feel its surface as being a bit worn.

_**Well,**_ Lionelis started. **_We_**_** guess that we're going to bear the mantle of being the Neuroi Witch once again, huh?**_

_We?_ I asked.

**_You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, right?_**

_True. We do make a damn good team, even if you didn't start talking to me until Operation Mars._

**_Sometimes it's the silent types that know what to do._**

_Problem: you're not a silent protagonist._

**_...Don't remind us..._**

I chuckled internally. I guess it's not too bad: I've got Lionelis to talk to about personal things now, and I'm at least still alive. If those aren't what I should be grateful for right now, I really don't know what I should be grateful for.

Anyways, better get into these clothes...hope they still fit...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

"Headquarters, we are scheduled to arrive at eighteen hundred," I said through the radio that was with my equipment. "Over."

"This is Headquarters," a male voice replied. "Understood. Over."

"Over and out." I severed the connection by putting the phone down and looked at Clostermann as she was looking at a map of the region.

"Rheims is about two hundred kilometers south-east of here," she said as she studied the map and traced a route. "If you take this route, you should arrive in Dijon by sunset."

"That's where we're scheduled to stay tonight, right?" I walked over to look at the map myself. It showed the country we were in as well as the rest of what was left of Europe.

Clostermann looked at me before looking back at the map. "Stay clear of the border and don't go east of the highway. Do exercise extreme caution after you cross the Rhine: once the Neuroi discover that Roland's still alive they'll most likely send everything at you to kill you three."

I nodded in understanding. "Understood, but why would they attack us harder if we have Captain Sage? I know they attack us hard enough as it is, but why would they step it up with him around?"

Clostermann looked a little saddened once she heard me ask that. "Because...without the ability to fly, Roland's a sitting duck, perfect for the Neuroi to try taking out. His core's still active, which means that based on the failure of Operation Trajanus the Neuroi are going to try their best to finish the job." Clostermann then frowned a little. "We've come too far to just let them kill him...I mean, we barely managed to rescue him from the core he had been fused with without him being killed in the process. The only one who would be able to protect him is you at this point."

"Why not tell him to stay here? You two seem to get along well."

"Other than he's my superior now? Even if I forced him to, he would resist. He may not be able to use his magic and his core is keeping him alive, but he's not going to just stay here. He's determined to keep us safe, but sometimes I wonder...if he still has that drive ever since he fused with the core back in Operation Mars."

"Speaking of that...is he fine after being fused?"

"Well, along with the scars on his left arm, which I bet you haven't thought too much about, he has a dark red left eye. We think it's from him being in his Second Stage Neuroi Mode while being fused."

I frowned. I don't think I've seen that concerning his eyes, and I never really thought about examining his left arm (or his body in general). "I see..." I then looked over at Miyafuji, who was chatting with Bishop. The Britannian Witch had given her a bag, and when the Fuso pilot officer looked inside it she pulled out a white robe fit for a doctor. She then expressed surprise while pointing out that Bishop's fingers were bandaged, a fact the Britannian Witch pointed out as her sewing skills not being "top-notch".

"She's been working on it for over a month now!" Clostermann said to the girls as I picked up the map and looked at it a bit more.

Miyafuji then thanked her friend and said something about becoming "the best doctor there ever was", which was around the time Roland came walking down the steps, looking completely different. His green T-shirt had been swapped out for a forest-green vest over a white shirt, and his jeans were now a pair of black cargo pants that looked like they had been damaged before, having been sewn to fix the tears. His face also looked more clean-shaven, the only thing left being the mustache he had, and he was carrying his backpack on his back.

...Wow...he looks a lot like who he was before disappearing...

"Captain Sage?" I asked as we looked at the ex-Neuroi Witch.

"Here I am, clothes and all," the ex-Neuroi Witch announced as he reached the bottom of the steps. He thrust his arms out to the side as he showed off his "new" look. "How do I look?"

"Your pants look a little damaged still," Miyafuji pointed out as she, Bishop, and Roland came to the jeep we would be driving.

"It's not too noticeable unless someone with yours and Minna's perception sees it. Besides, it does fit my re-appearance, right? I mean, even someone like me can afford to show some damage."

"Alright," I said to them. "Let's get into the jeep and get moving."

"_Hai__,_" Miyafuji replied as she and Roland hopped into the passenger seat, the Fuso pilot officer sitting on his lap once the ex-Neuroi Witch threw his backpack behind the passenger seat gently. Clostermann and Bishop then grabbed a few small boxes as I got in and worked on starting the car up.

"Here," Bishop said as she handed the duo next to me her box, "lunch for you to eat on the way."

"Thanks."

"This is Saint John's wort from our herb garden," Perrine added as she handed them her box. "It's good for wounds!"

"Thanks, Lynne, Perrine."

"We'll keep in touch," Roland said. "And don't worry...we'll be fine. Even without our magic, we've got Sergeant Hattori to handle the enemy."

At least he still knows who's more useful at this point...

"Off we go then," I said as I gave the car gas gently. Miyafuji and Roland looked behind them and waved good-bye to their friends one last time.

And now we're on our way to our next stop.

We had been driving for about five minutes before I couldn't help but glance at Roland's left arm. Like Clostermann said, his arm was covered with some scars that seemed to extend up towards his elbow from around his wrist. They were barely noticeable but they weren't completely hidden, and somehow they looked a lot like a cat had scratched him a lot around that area.

"Captain Sage?" I asked the ex-Neuroi Witch as I looked back at the road.

"What is it, sergeant?" Roland asked me as he and Miyafuji turned to face the front.

"I've been thinking...what's with those scars on your arm?"

I think Roland looked at his arm himself. "Ah, those? I think Perrine told you before I arrived, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but..."

"You want to hear the information from my own lips, huh? Well...to put it simply, I started earning these scars once I gained access to my Neuroi Mode's second stage. We believe that my body can't handle the energy I produce when I reach that point. Or at least that's what the evidence so far points to."

"And your left eye?"

"...I have no idea about that, but I got it after being freed from the core. For all I know, the core could have manipulated my Dee-En-Eh to produce the change in color or given me a colored contact for my left eye or something."

"Oh...then forgive me for asking, but...what was it like being in Neuroi Mode?"

Roland and Miyafuji looked at each other for a bit before the ex-Neuroi Witch gave his answer. "Erm...I'd love to tell you that, but before I do I think you need an understanding of what I've been through."

"How far do I need to know, sir?"

"Probably up to when I first unlocked Neuroi Mode, so I guess I better start at the day of the _Ascension_ incident..."

I paid as much attention to Roland's tale of his experiences being a Strike Witch as closely as my driving would allow while thinking about what Clostermann had told me about the Neuroi and the ex-Neuroi Witch.

Let's hope the Neuroi doesn't catch wind of Roland, but if they do...I won't let any of them hurt him or Miyafuji...I promise...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Sanya's POV_

"Wow, Nipa's a jerk!" Eila said to me as we were walking back with a backpack each in our arms. "Her best friends are leaving and she won't even see them off!" "Nipa" was Nikka Edvardine Katajainen, one of Eila's friends and fellow squad mate (the two were affiliated with the same squad).

"You shouldn't say that," I told her. "She's on a mission."

"Yeah, but...this really bites...Roland wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that, I'll bet."

I frowned. "Roland-kun..." It's been about two months since we had last seen the Neuroi Witch, and it's been rather easy for us to keep his living status a secret. But it's really hard not to think about him every now and then. Like now when Eila mentioned him.

Eila caught on to my thoughts rather quickly. "Hey, don't worry, Sanya. I'm sure Roland's fine. Even without his magic now, he's rather tough to just kill. I mean, look at his record so far."

I sighed. "I know, but it's still lonely here without him."

Eila gave off a weak smile. "You're really easy to make sad when it comes to talking about him right now. Wonder what would happen if you saw Roland again..."

"I'm...not sure...I'd probably give him a hug to say hi once more." We reached a place to put down our backpacks, which was near a hangar that reminded me of a barn or something. There were AA guns nearby, some sandbags around them for some cover. There was also a windmill that was nearby.

"Nipa should be done in time for your departure." someone said. We turned around and saw Flight Lieutenant Aleksandra Ivanovna Porkryshkin as she was coming up to us.

"Flight Lieutenant!" I said quickly as I bowed. "Thank you for having us!"

"Thank you!" Eila added as she followed my example.

"Don't mention it," Aleksandra replied neutrally. "With the two of you gone, the base is sure going to be quiet. Especially since we won't be able to hear you two talk about the Neuroi Witch every now and then."

As we stood up straight, we then heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey!" Surprised, we looked behind Aleksandra and saw Nikka, the one we had been talking about.

"Hey!" the incoming Witch was calling out as she was waving her hands about. "Hold on a sec!"

"Eila, Nipa's back," I said with a slight smile as I waved hi to Nikka.

"That's good," Aleksandra added. "Looks like everything went well today."

"You don't know that for sure," Eila replied.

Soon, we watched as a random bolt of lightning hit Nikka and sent her falling to the ground.

"Oh my!" I said as I ran off to head to the impending crash site.

"Useless as ever," my friend added as she followed me.

Right, Nikka had bad luck...

XXXXXXXXXX

It took us a while to haul the damaged Striker Unit back to the base for repairs, a fact Aleksandra pointed out as being the second time in a one-month period. The flight lieutenant was also saying something about the budget not being able to cover it.

"How is a lightning strike my fault?" Nikka had asked at the time.

After that, Eila and I went into the hangar and, with our things, entered our Striker Units.

"The weather's bad, so be careful," Aleksandra told us as we taxied out of the hangar. We had our weapons inside some carrying cases that acted as backpacks as well as the backpacks we had been carrying earlier.

"Right!" I said cheerfully as we stopped to look at the girls. "We'll try to stay above the clouds as much as possible."

"Later, Nipa!" Eila added. "Try not to break another one!"

We took off and were soon in the air before we heard Nikka calling out for us.

"Hey!" Nikka shouted from the ground. "Be careful! Drop by sometimes! Don't catch a cold! Watch out for lightning!"

"See ya!" Eila shouted in return.

I could only smile. Maybe Roland would have liked it here if he had come with us.

But he's busy with his own agenda, so...as long as he's not killed before we see each other again...

XXXXXXXXXX

Later on, we had started flying over the clouds before Eila gave off a sneeze. I soon flew under her and turned around while reaching into one of my pockets and pulling out a handkerchief. I showed it to my friend and held it to her nose before the Suomos Witch blew into it.

"Feeling cold?" I asked her.

"A bit," Eila replied with a blush on her face.

"Let's drop down a notch." I flew on her right and held out my left hand, the Suomos Witch grabbing it with her right hand. We then flew down through the clouds and appeared under them before finding a flock of geese that looked to be traveling south for the winter.

"I really hope Miyafuji and Roland are doing fine," Eila said as we started flying behind the geese.

"Still worried about your fortune-telling?" I asked her. She had decided to try looking into their future.

"You're the one who said I should look into her future!" Eila then pulled out a few cards that she had pulled from the deck when she read Yoshika's future. "The Tower, huh? How ominous." She then put it away. "Miyafuji and Roland are in Gallia, right?"

"There shouldn't be any Neuroi left there, though...with Roland-kun around there's a chance..."

"Yeah...really sucks to be him..." I gave her a look. "What? I'm serious! I know that the Neuroi want all of humanity wiped out or something, but you and I both know that all takes a seat on the backburner once they see Roland lately." Suddenly, the geese started squawking as they flew up higher. I looked ahead a bit. "What was that?"

"Eila!" I could see something very ominously shaped like an unknown figure.

"W-What's that?" Eila sounded a bit concerned.

"Don't tell me it's a Neuroi..." Roland...please be careful...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

Okay, why is it I'm suddenly having a big chill go down my spine?

Yoshika took a second from eating her sandwich (made courtesy of Lynette) and looked behind her and at me.

"Are you alright, Roland-kun?" she asked. "You kinda just froze for a second."

"Yeah..." I told her as I resumed eating my own sandwich, taking a bite before swallowing. "My body just did a sort of fear reaction or something." _Lio, what was that I just felt?_

**_Probably you thinking of something terrifying, _**Lionelis told me. _**We're not sure about it, but we don't sense any Neuroi around. We're parked here in the middle of the road, so the worse we should get is an angry driver who's using the same road as us.**_

Lionelis has a point: we had stopped in the middle of the road for lunch...and Shizuka was busy looking at the map we had.

"You should eat something!" Yoshika told the Fuso sergeant. "It's good!"

"Yeah," I added. "Lynne's sandwiches are very delicious."

"No thanks," Shizuka told us as she lowered the map a bit. "I'm busy checking the map."

_**What,** **did she lose her way or**** something?** _Lionelis teased. **_She should stop and ask for_ _directions._**

_Lio? _ I quizzed. _We're out in the middle of nowhere. Who's here for us to ask for directions?_

**_...The letter "h"?_**

I ran that sentence through my head for a brief second. _Ha ha, very funny._

**_That was funny?_**

As Yoshika and I continued eating our sandwiches while Shizuka was reading the map still, we started hearing an engine roar. Soon, a car that I swore looked like an upgraded Model T or something (I can't quite remember what the car looked like off the top of my head right now) flew out from behind the bushes to our left and drove ahead a bit before coming to a stop. We were startled. _Why is it I feel like I know who's driving?_

_**...What, was I supposed to answer it? I don't know, but...**_

"What was that?" Yoshika asked as a man who looked like he was of the working class back in _A Christmas Carol_ or something jumped out of the driver seat.

"Hey you, soldiers," the man said as he looked at us, "Can I use your radio?" He then started to run towards us.

Yoshika stood up as we watched the man approach the jeep. "What happened?"

"There was a landslide! Several people are injured!"

"A landslide?!" Shizuka asked, stunned.

"How horrible!" Yoshika added.

"We tried calling for help, but the phones won't connect." the man told us.

I then watched as Yoshika turned to look at Shizuka, determination in her eyes. "Shizuka!"

"Understood!" Shizuka replied as she got out of the driver seat and crawled past us as she went to the back. She then grabbed the receiver and tried operating it but didn't seem like she was getting any results. "Huh? The radio doesn't work."

"Strange," I said. "It was working fine before we left Perrine's place." Unless...

If a Neuroi could mess with Sanya's magic antennae back in Britannia and one was undetectable until Mio saw it with her magic eye in Romagna...

What are the odds of a Neuroi evolving to be able to jam a signal?

Yoshika, who had leaned over me to look at the radio herself, then got up and looked at the man, telling him, "I can perform basic first aid! Lead us to the village!"

The man was taken aback. "Are you a doctor?"

"You can't, Pilot Officer!" Shizuka told her. "The village is by the border! Perrine said we mustn't go near-"

"Let's go, Shizuka!" we told her.

Shizuka took a brief second to look at each of us. "Pilot Officer...Captain..."

XXXXXXXXXX

It took a while of Shizuka driving after the man who had found us started leading us to the village that had been affected, but we were now running into what apparently was acting as a makeshift hospital. Once we entered inside, I tightened my vest as Yoshika slipped her newly-acquired white robe over her body. There were a lot of injured individuals around, ranging from broken legs to broken arms.

"This way," the man told us as we followed him to the back. Soon, we saw a man lying on a table, breathing heavily as he tried fighting through the pain. There was a lot of blood around his left shoulder, something I noticed Shizuka looking horrified at.

"It's horrible..." she said softly.

I placed my right hand on her left shoulder and replied, "It's alright, sergeant. It's just a natural disaster, not the Neuroi right now."

Shizuka turned to face Yoshika, the Fuso sergeant holding the box with the medical gear we needed.

"We must stop the bleeding," Yoshika said as she opened the box and rummaged around for some supplies. "The herbs Perrine gave me should work." She then grabbed a jar of wort and opened the top. "So this and..." She then looked at an elderly lady who looked like she had been at the man's side for a while. "Do you have any bandages?"

"We've already used them all," the lady told us.

"Any clean sheets or towels, then?"

"There's nothing left."

I then looked at Yoshika as she lowered her head in thought before she grabbed the bottom of her robe and pulled it over her head, taking it off. "Sorry, Lynne."

Wait, is she going to...?

"Yosh, wait..." I tried telling her.

Yoshika then ripped the robe apart as she constructed some makeshift bandages out of the remains.

I really do hope Lynette understands about this...if not, then I'll try explaining it to her...

XXXXXXXXXX

"They're all out of danger now thanks to you," the man told us as he and the lady from before were standing in front of Yoshika and me. We were still inside the building in the evening.

"You've saved us," the lady added.

"It's no problem," I told them as Yoshika bowed. "We like helping others out. Especially Yoshika here."

"Well, it's certainly nice to see that the Neuroi Witch is still alive and kicking while helping us still."

...Wait... "You know who I am?" I pointed to myself with my right index finger.

"It's not really something that one can just ignore," the man told us. "Not with the records you've set yourself, captain. Also, you look almost the same as before you 'died'."

"Yeah, but...you're not mad at me for being in hiding?" I'd think that if they had felt that I was still alive, wouldn't they have reacted in the same manner as Shizuka?

They both shook their head. "As long as you're not trying to kill humanity, we're content with whatever actions you take."

That's nice to hear...I think. "Uh, thanks." Yoshika and I then turned and started walking off. "At this point, I'm not really caring if the media knows about me anymore, so feel free to tell them about me if you wish. Just remember to tell them that we helped you guys out, alright?"

"Alright. Good luck in your travels."

"Thanks. We wish you luck as you rebuild your town."

Yoshika and I stepped outside and started towards the jeep, the little Fuso ex-Witch sighing in relief. She then noticed the sunset. "The sun's already setting!" We looked at Shizuka, who was sitting in the back as she was fumbling with our radio. We walked over to her.

"Any luck with contacting anyone?" I asked.

"Nothing," Shizuka told us as we stopped near her. "The interference's so strong I couldn't reach Saint Trond, Dijon, or Sedan. The radio's useless."

Saint Trond?

Oh crap...that's where Minna, Gertrud, and Erica are stationed at right now!

"Is it broken?" Yoshika asked next.

"The phone isn't working either," the man who had led us here said as he came over to the jeep with the elderly lady who we had saw earlier.

"It's already quite late," the lady said. "Why don't you stay here for the night?"

"With pleasure!" Yoshika said happily. To Shizuka, she added, "Shizuka, let's take them up on their offer!"

"Okay," Shizuka said. "But I still have to report today's actions."

"Can't that wait until tomorrow?"

I think Shizuka looked miffed about the thought of "not reporting". "Reports are part of our duty!"

"True," I told her. "But if you can't get in contact anywhere, what's the point of trying right now? Besides, we'll need all the rest we can get for tomorrow."

Without a reply, Shizuka resumed flicking the switch to the radio, hoping that the next flick would get her into contact with someone, anyone.

"You sure it's not broken?" I asked. If you're having problems with using it right now...

"There were no problems with it when we left," Shizuka replied. She then looked at me. "Any other ideas, sir?"

"Hmm..." I began as I put my left index finger on my chin in thought. "Could it be something jamming it?"

"Possible. The interference is strong enough to make us unable to contact anyone nearby. Why do you ask?"

I grimaced. Bad time to not have magic. "The Neuroi were able to use Sanya's frequency to try catching her off guard in Britannia and there was an invisible one with its core looking like a bug in Romagna. I find it hard to put them past developing the ability to block signals based on that."

"That makes sense!" Yoshika pointed out. "But...where are they going to attack next?"

That's a good question, Yoshika. "Better still, who are they going to target?"

"Humanity, who else?" Shizuka tried.

I shook my head. "No, not like that, sergeant. I'm talking a country or a group. Hell, even an...individual..." I stopped.

"Roland-kun?" Yoshika asked me. "Why did you stop?"

The severity of the situation hit me hard. "Oh...shit..."

"What? What is it?"

"Could it be that they knew about me still being alive?"

This made the girls shocked. "What? Oh no!"

"So they learned how to interfere with telephone lines and radios just to drag you out here?" Shizuka asked.

"Not quite." I then turned to Yoshika. "Yosh, what is the one thing you girls share in common with each other?"

"Um..." the little Fuso ex-Witch started as she stumbled around mentally for an idea. "We worry about you?"

"Close. What are you girls worried about concerning me?"

"Erm..." She then realized the possible answer. "You dying!"

"Exactly. How hard would it hit you if, say, you didn't hear about me dying until about a day or so later?"

"...I'd probably end up being really miserable..."

"Also," Shizuka added, "it'd make it hard on the rest of the world: losing a Witch is already bad news, but losing the only male Witch/Neuroi hybrid known so far would probably shatter any resolve we had built about you."

"Or the world could rally under me as a martyr or something..." I replied. "The point is, something tells me that they're going to strike somewhere. Somewhere where we'll have no choice but to fight for our lives. The only one of us who can fight them head-on is the sergeant, so while she's busy trying to take them out...they can get off a shot and hit us, killing us."

I then felt Yoshika give me a tight hug as the little Fuso ex-Witch added, "I won't let them try to kill you, Roland-kun! You'll be okay, I promise!"

Man, do I act like this when I'm determined to protect the girls (without the tight hugs)? "I know you will, but without magic we're just normal human beings. Nothing more."

**_I think the core in here would like a word with_ _you,_** Lionelis replied.

_Without magic I can't fight in the air,_ I told him. _And besides...I'm sure if I tried doing it "Ground Witch" style that they'll just shoot me anyways._

**_Better to try than to just give up, right?_**

I sighed. _I guess you're right, Lio._

"We'll take you up on your offer," I told our new hosts. "Once morning comes, we'll keep pushing towards our destination."

"Alright," the man replied. "We'll get a place set up for you three."

I hope you're doing well without us, Minna...

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And the next chapter is complete.**

**Not too sure if there's anything I want to talk about at the moment, but I guess I will say this: I'll be making a special announcement concerning the secret project slot you see on my profile in a few chapters, so be on the lookout for that.**

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what you think of the chapter so far.**

**Thank, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	7. Neuroi!

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter in **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Alright, first thing on the to-do list is the review-responding, so let's take a look:**

_majoramiruddin_**: Thanks for the review.**

_jaku uzumaki_**: Given Minna's personality, it's unlikely that she wouldn't care about them (given what they've done so far as well as the fact that she and Roland are a couple despite the separation). Other than that, thanks for the review.**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: I actually don't know how they manage to make it work (unless the material itself is based on aluminum foil), but it _is_ the Neuroi we're talking about: Based on what I know of them, no matter how much you research them, they will find a way to surprise you (for instance, if one knows the movie events, this next chapter; if one hasn't, in order to get a sense without spoiling the upcoming events, let's go with the events of the final arc in **_SH2_**. It's probably not a very strong example, but it does point out the surprise reactions****). Other than that, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

**Oh, and note that the examples apply to anyone reading them. It's easier than placing them inside separate reviews.**

_Gamerman22_**: Probably not concerning Roland's powers, but you never know, right? I'm the author and even I can't be sure I'll keep something that I had previously placed inside these chapters inside said chapters during the editing. It's all a matter of reflecting back on what I put down. Apart from that, thanks for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

_William L (Guest)_**: Sullivan "Sully" has not been forgotten, and this chapter will reveal your answer in due time.**

_Redcollector (Guest)_**: I probably will, but it most likely won't be the next one in the series (that one, while it will most likely be using original ideas, is going to take a while for me to figure out how to go about it). I will keep you posted, and I have made it a point at the end of each story in this series to mention my plans after finishing so check back for the special announcement from next chapter (could happen at any time here) as well as the epilogue (for an idea of what to expect from me next).**

**Alright, with the responses done for the moment, let's move on to the story.**

**Let's see, it's been a while since we last checked on the Karlsland trio, so it's off to Saint Trond to see what's going on at the moment...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 7: Neuroi!**

_Minna's POV_

"Please sign here," a man said once he put down the last of our shipment items before handing me a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. I grabbed it with my left hand. "It's been half a month since I last came here."

"It's a good thing we aren't busy," I told him as I looked at the paper and signed it with my signature using a pen.

"Same story with the rest of the front lines. I wish it'd stay this way."

"Yeah." I handed him the clipboard, which he rested under his left arm.

"Still sad that Captain Sage is dead, though. We really could have used him to help us out here."

"True..." I looked away with a sad look in my eyes. I haven't really spoken with him since he and Miyafuji were in Gallia.

The man must have sensed my mood change because when I looked back at him he had given me a salute. "I'll take my leave."

"Good work." I returned the salute before turning around and walking towards the back of the hangar, where Hartmann was busy trying to slip bullets into a magazine for a pistol.

I really do wish Roland had stayed here, but it's how he wanted it: he was relatively unknown until he became a Witch, so I guess he wanted to live as peacefully as he could ever get.

Though...it's been over two months.

Two months of not feeling his warmth near me. Of feeling alone. Of thinking about his safety.

"Ouch!" Hartmann screamed as her attempt to put a bullet into the clip. I watched as the small metallic round flew into the air before hitting her on the top of the head harmlessly. She then looked at her injured finger, which was on her right hand. She then fell onto the floor back first, squirming around in frustration. "My nail broke! My hand hurts! I'm fed up with this! This sucks!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't lost the loader," Barkhorn told her simply as she stopped loading bullets into a machine gun ammo belt and walked over to our blond-haired teammate.

"No!" Barkhorn then took the ammo clip from Hartmann. "It's just too hard!"

"You do it...like this!" Barkhorn shoved it in there before showing it to Hartmann, who didn't look impressed.

"Huh, that's just brute force."

"What did you say?! How do you even lose your loader in the first place?! As a Karlsland soldier, you ought to have learned to secure your equipment on day one!"

I stopped in the middle of the hangar and gave off a faint smile. They're like they usually are...

Soon, I heard footsteps to my right, and I looked to see that it was Heidemarie.

"Wing Commander Minna, you have a call," she told me.

What's the call for?

"Call?" I asked as I walked to the office I had been given while I was here. It looked to be about the same as the ones I've had, with bookshelves behind the desk, a desk itself, a chair to sit in, a quill with some ink, a telephone...you probably get the idea by now.

There was one extra addition, in the form of a Rottweiler.

Named Sullivan (we took to calling him "Sully", which is also imprinted on his tag), he was a gift Roland had been given when he went to Roma with Miyafuji, Shirley, and Lucchini for some supplies. According to him and Duchess Maria, Roland had asked the duchess to keep an eye on him, but apparently the dog looked so sad at the idea of being away form Roland that Duchess Maria had the Rottweiler air-dropped onto our base at the time. Which gave Roland a surprise, no doubt.

Anyways, I allowed Roland to keep Sully on the base in exchange for us helping to take care of him, an agreement he accepted.

Other than that, Sully's been with us until the conclusion of Operation Mars (the one Roland had been reported as having died in), at which point Roland had decided to head to Fuso to search for some answers. Seeing that Sully was a factor he forgot about, I decided to have him come with me, Barkhorn, and Hartmann until Roland comes to the base.

The Rottweiler's been adjusting rather nicely so far, but it doesn't help that he's been sleeping on my bed since we came here (and I had to call Commodore Galland and let her know about the dog being here to be safe). Wonder how much he misses Roland...

Probably as much as me.

Anyways, walking up to the front of my desk, I picked up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I see. Neuroi appeared in Venezia as well."

Such was what I said when the person on the other line had finished explaining what had occurred in Venezia. Again, according to what she had explained (a similar incident a month ago was stopped by them and was reported to Commodore Galland as soon as they could).

"There are no hives within a two hundred kilometer radius, and the watches in Romagna haven't reported anything either," I heard Shirley's voice say. "What's stranger still is the fact that this is the second one in a month. One attempt after a failure makes some sense, but a second one out of nowhere?"

"Lucky for us," Draco added from a distance (according to Shirley's end of the line), "the Five-Oh-Four were able to help us out the second time. Still seems like there's no signs of their origins."

"Where the hell did they come from, then?"

"This sounds troublesome," I simply replied. "Keep your eyes peeled. You and the Five Hundred and Fourth both."

"Roger!"

I hung up the phone, turned, and walked a bit towards Heidemarie, who was standing in front of a map of the area. "First Belgica, and now two noted in Venezia." I grabbed a red pencil and placed an "X" on the locations of the sightings. "The closest hives are Berlin, Nuremburg, and Prague." I marked those locations as well. "The Neuroi's range..." I then drew a circle to mark the radius and was surprised with what I learned. "Huh, that's weird. They're just too far away from the hives. Unless..." I looked at Pas de Calais on the map, the location we had been stationed around back before the incident with the Warlock. Roland told me that he and Miyafuji were in Gallia, so if that's the case...

I circled the area and compared it to the others. Given Gallia's position in relations to Venezia, that would make some sense, but...

It fails to explain the sighting in Belgica.

There's something missing. Something I'm not seeing.

Hmm...why would the Neuroi choose to make three different sightings, one in Belgica and then two in Venezia close to a month later?

How would Roland see it?

"Ma'am?" Heidemarie asked me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm trying to think right now," I told her calmly.

Given the surrounding area, coupled with the fact that Roland is on the move at the moment, the Neuroi seem to be trying to prepare for an attack somewhere.

But where exactly? Where Roland will be at a certain point? Or are they using the threat of targeting him to hit somewhere else? If so, where are they going to hit? Belgica? Gallia or Venezia again?

One thing's certain: Roland's in danger as long as the Neuroi are forming a plan of some sort.

"Major?" I asked Heidemarie. "Can I trust you with something personal?"

"Commander?" Heidemarie asked. "What is it?"

"I'm worried. I'm worried about someone's safety."

"Oh." She looked a little confused. "Who exactly? Major Sakamoto?"

"Not really. I haven't seen her for a while, but that's not who I'm worrying about." I sighed. "It's Roland."

I think Heidemarie ran that statement through her head. "Captain Sage? Why? He's dead...right?"

I sighed again. "That's what I wanted to tell you..." I then explained to her what had happened a week after the results of Operation Mars, the mission that supposedly "killed" Roland, as well as the reason why he chose to hide. I even told her about the call I had received from him two days ago.

"Oh." She didn't really looked surprised or upset. "So he's not dead."

"Yeah."

"But why are you worried about him? The Neuroi wouldn't just find him and kill him, would they?"

I shook my head slowly. "They probably wouldn't find him very easily, but once they do Roland will be unable to defend himself. Without his magic and with the core still alive inside him, even if it's the only thing keeping him in the land of the living, the captain will be killed. And..."

"I see." Heidemarie studied the map herself. "Which direction are they heading right now?"

"If I had to take a guess, Perrine would have directed them along a path that would have avoided the Neuroi, so..." I then thought of something. "Hang on, what about the Neuroi you encountered?"

"It was a mid-size flyer heading north-west." Heidemarie turned her head to look at me. "I located it south of here."

"So it wasn't one of their regular scouts?"

"Its mobility and firepower were far superior, and I'd never seen one shaped like it before."

"I see." Now I'm really worried about Roland's safety. "Shirley's report described something similar."

"Could they have come from the same hive?"

I looked at the map once more. "Venezia is eight hundred kilometers from here, so I can't deny the possibility. However...there are no hives between us. Furthermore, the border guards didn't spot the one you fought nor the ones in Venezia. Not only are they powerful, but they were also able to slip past border patrol."

"Could there be a new hive somewhere?"

Yes...that's a possibility...but where? "We must investigate."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Investigate?" Hartmann asked me as she and Barkhorn stood next to Heidemarie, all three of them looking at me. I had just finished explaining to the other two what I had wanted them to do: some recon to see if a hive we had neglected to locate was around.

"Are you sure the border guards weren't just asleep?" Barkhorn added.

I was a little stunned. Why was it the Karlsland captain chose now to start questioning the odds of our situation actually occurring?

"I don't think it's necessary for us to investigate!" Barkhorn continued. "Not to mention how improbable it is for a Neuroi to emerg-"

"Oh look!" Hartmann said. She had somehow slipped by me and was looking at the map behind me. "Isn't Miyafuji passing by there on her way?"

"Yeah," I told her as I looked at the blond-haired lieutenant. "Roland's also with her. And don't worry: I told Major Heidemarie about his living status myself. So-"

"Roland?" Barkhorn shouted, surprised. I think she had a blush on her face. "He's where?"

"Calm down, Trude. He's on his way to Helvetia with Miyafuji and Hattori. I think he said something about coming here when Miyafuji arrives at the school."

I think something inside Barkhorn went off because she raced over to her Striker Unit, jumped into it, and attached her armaments on her body. Hartmann followed suit but was more relaxed with her movement.

"Engines start!" Barkhorn called out as they started their Striker Units. "Engine speed normal. _Starten auf! Direkteinspritzer! _Ready to launch!"

"By 'Miyafuji', you mean _that_ 'Miyafuji'?" Heidemarie asked me as we watched the two scouts about to take off.

"Yep!" I told her cheerfully. "Captain Barkhorn's cute little sister!"

"Little sister?!" Heidemarie sounded a bit surprised.

"Minna, you're just confusing her!" Barkhorn replied from her spot. "Don't take her jokes seriously, Major Heidemarie."

"I'm leaving without you, 'sissy'." Hartmann added as I think she was heading off.

"Wait for me, Hartmann!"

They then flew through the hangar doors and took off into the air.

Please don't let anything happen to them out there. I already have Roland's life to worry about, I can't worry about theirs either...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Gertrud's POV_

Jeez, I can't believe Commander Minna told Major Heidemarie about that.

Seriously, Miyafuji only looks like Chris. That's it!

"You really should lighten up," Hartmann told me as we flew towards our destination. "It's not the end of the world having Miyafuji as a sort of little sister. Not to mention you and your crush on Roland."

I grimaced as I said, "Hey, that's totally uncalled for, Hartmann! Besides, Commander Minna and Roland are already a couple. Why would I bother with it?" Jeez, Sage probably had an easier time trying to deny his feelings for someone; he didn't have someone like Hartmann knowing what he was thinking.

"Probably because you're still thinking about him."

I gasped. "Hartmann! I'm only thinking about him because everyone else is worried about him! You know that he's useless without magic! Same thing with Miyafuji!"

"True, but you're thinking on a different wavelength."

I gritted my teeth to avoid saying anything that would confirm Hartmann's "theory", instead looking up ahead. "We've almost reached the Rhine. Be careful."

"Aw, but this side of the river's outside Neuroi control! Nothing to worry about!"

...She does know that that's not a very good phrase to be saying right now, right? "We're here to make sure of that." I picked up speed and flew ahead.

Jeez, Sage. You better be grateful that we're trying to make sure you don't just go and die under a rock or something. "Sure thing." We flew above the Rhine as we turned left and looked to our right, towards our homeland. "Karlsland's a terrible mess..."

"Only a river, but it's like a wall."

"Separating you from your homeland...I guess Roland's got something in common with us."

She's right. Sage is separated from his home by being in our dimension (at least, that's the idea). For him, it really is tougher knowing that no matter what you do you may never return. At least... "I won't stop until my homeland is free from Neuroi dominion."

"Yeah..." We continued flying for a bit longer. "There's nothing here. Let's go back."

"No, but we should at least go up to the Loreley."

We flew some more for a while as we followed the river, soon hearing Hartmann's stomach growl.

"I'm hungry..." the lieutenant told me. "Let's go back!"

"You're right," I said as Hartmann continued saying the previous sentence over and over again like a child, "we should head back. I don't see any Neuroi here, so Roland should at least be safe for a while."

I think Hartmann was surprised that I actually agreed with her idea. "Huzzah!"

"Why do you have to-"

Something caught Hartmann's attention, as indicated by her pointing ahead. "Trude, over there!"

I looked at where she was pointing and saw some sort of creature rising from the trees. From the looks of it, it looked like it was a sort of tower.

"It's a Neuroi!" Hartmann exclaimed after examining it a bit. It did have the texture of a Neuroi.

"From the ground?!" I added, shocked. _Mein Gott_, we've got a huge problem waiting to happen...

"I've never seen one like that!" Then again, we've never seen anything like Sage before either, but...

Soon, we watched as three more Neuroi shot out from the trees, matching the ones Commander Minna had described to us. "Those are the ones Minna mentioned!" I readied my machine guns. "Let's do this, Hartmann!"

"Gotcha!"

We dropped our speed caps and took off towards the enemies at combat speed. I strapped my guns onto my back as I readied two rocket launchers I had chosen to bring along, aiming them at one of the missile-looking ones before firing. The rockets flew and hit their mark but didn't seem to do anything. In fact, I think I managed to piss it off because it charged up a laser and fired at us.

We quickly weaved through the rain of lasers as I readied my main weapons again and fired a hail of bullets alongside Hartmann. Soon, we managed to take out one of the enemies, flying by each other upon doing so.

"Got one!" Hartmann cheered.

"One down!" I added.

The remaining two missile-looking Neuroi flew into the air before one turned and dived towards Hartmann, who barely slipped by it as she fired at it. "Get away from me!"

Soon, we were flying back-to-back as we fought before I witnessed the missile-shaped Neuroi I was firing at change its shape to be more like a rocket or something. "It transformed?!" I then realized that my gun had overheated or something. "Dammit, it jammed!" I worked on changing out the hot barrels for cooler ones and adding a new drum of magazines before I flew off. Hartmann joined me with an SMG she had brought with her as a back-up weapon as we tackled the transformed Neuroi, soon finding ourselves flying higher into the sky.

"I'm hungry."

"Deal with it." We flew out of the path of a laser as the Neuroi flew past us and straight into the air. We fired everything we had at it, soon striking the core and destroying it. The last missile-like Neuroi transformed and dived towards us, zooming past me as I avoided being rammed by the enemy. I then took off ahead as the Neuroi chased after me, firing lasers around my surrounding airspace. I managed to fly right behind it after a while and aimed my guns at it. "Now!" We fired into it and soon managed to destroy it. Once we had, we stopped and floated there.

"I'm tired." I think Hartmann's not doing too well right now considering her stomach.

I turned to face her. "The tower-shaped one's still around."

Hartmann pointed to the ground rather lazily. "It's over there."

I looked at where her finger was pointing and saw that the tower-type Neuroi was busy crossing through the trees...

On the other side of the Rhine.

"It crossed the Rhine?!" I shouted. Shit, there went the plan of keeping the Neuroi from crossing over...

"I can't fight anymore..." Hartmann added. "I'm running out of magic and bullets."

I gritted my teeth and reached for my right ear, where my radio earpiece was, with my right hand and tried raising someone. "Picus, do you copy? This is Weiss-Five. Do you copy, Minna? We're at position Gee-Fourteen on the grid. A Neuroi's on the move. It crossed the Rhine! I repeat!" All I seem to be getting was static.

"It's gone now..."

"Damn, the radio's not working."

Soon, we watched as some white flakes started falling around us. "What's this?"

"Is it because of this?" Could the flakes be causing interference with our radios? "We must hurry back!"

"I'm worn out..." I really don't think Hartmann was in the mood for putting her body through more strain because of an empty stomach.

"Oh please! Why do you have to-" We started flying back towards the base, Hartmann's energy giving out a while later. I ended up carrying her along on my back as she complained about the lack of food in her stomach. It got so bad that we had to drop our weapons and my spare ammo just to pick up some speed and not tire out faster. Soon, I remembered something I had in one of my military jacket's pockets, and I fished a bar of chocolate out and handed it to the hungry lieutenant. "Here, have this."

I think I made Hartmann's day for now. "Oh, chocolate!" She grabbed it and, after opening it, proceeded to break off half and presented it to me. "Here's your half."

"I'm fine. You eat it."

"Really? Alright!" Hartmann was about to eat it...

When we saw a bunch of dirt launch into the air from up ahead. What followed was yet another one of those transforming ones, already transformed and flying straight towards us.

"That wasn't the last of them?" I asked, shocked. _Verdammt_, why is it we had to lose our guns?

"Here it comes!" Hartmann cried out as we stopped in the air.

"This is bad! I'm out of weapons and my magic is depleted!" Soon, I felt Hartmann let go as her Striker Unit powered up again. "Hartmann!"

"Chocolate's the best!"

XXXXXXXXXX

_Erica's POV_

After having a bit of the candy Trude gave me, I felt ready to keep fighting. Which was what I did as I flew towards the new bogey, dodging through the lasers and blocking a few of them.

Soon, I rose into the air and watched as the Neuroi flew right towards me, but I managed to avoid the brunt of the damage as I hitched a ride on its "back".

Alright, I don't exactly have a grenade on hand, otherwise I'd do something Roland would have done.

Let's see, what else...?

Ooh! I know!

I raised my left hand up as I charged up a blue orb of energy and called out "_Sturm!_" I then slammed my hand onto the enemy's surface, soon destroying it.

However, doing that used up the remainder of my magic, and I started going into a free fall towards the ground. I could barely hear Trude shouting after me as she gave chase, but I don't think she was going to catch me in time.

I closed my eyes for a second before feeling someone having caught me. When I looked, it was none other than Commander Minna.

"Huh?" I asked sleepily. "What are you doing here, Minna?"

"I got worried when we lost contact," Commander Minna replied.

We flew into the air and were soon joined by Trude.

"Minna!" she began once she approached us. "The Neuroi have breached the border!"

"What?" the commander asked, shocked. "They're across?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Minna. We tried doing what we could, but..."

"It's not the end of the world yet," I said. "We don't really know where it's going, but if it's not after Roland then he should be fine."

"...I'm hoping you're right, Hartmann..." Commander Minna told me.

"You're talking about a man who's survived the impossible, Minna. The man who's your boyfriend. If he can't fight through this, then I don't know who else can."

Commander Minna nodded in slight agreement. "Alright, let's return to base before we all run out of energy."

As the two Witches still able to fly without support supported me and flew back towards Saint-Trond's, I thought back on what I had said.

Let's just hope that I'm not proven wrong...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

And there goes my back tingling again.

Goddammit, why is it doing that all of a sudden?

"Are you alright still, Roland-kun?" Yoshika asked me as Shizuka was driving us and the jeep along a road on the side of a mountain.

"Yeah, I think," I told her with a faint smile. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Oh." She then looked at the road ahead. "Breakfast was delicious, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Shizuka simply said. I had to agree as well.

"Does the radio work?"

"No." Figures; after eating a bit and a while before we left (Yoshika wanted to check on the injured people before we resumed our journey), the Fuso sergeant tried the radio once more, with no luck still. Luck is a cruel mistress sometimes...

"We'll be in Helvetia tonight, right?"

"Yes." Anyone get the impression that she's going to give one-word answers for a while?

"Then you'll be going home?"

Shizuka glanced at us. "My mission states that I must see you arrive soundly at your destination. Captain Sage is just someone else that I tacked on because you asked him to come along."

"That kinda bites," I said as I closed my eyes and leaned back a bit. "A mission like that..." It almost sounds like the promise I made...

_**Roland?**_ Lionelis asked. _**We don't want you to panic, but-**_

_BOOM!_

"What the hell was that?" I shouted as I bolted upright as best as I could with Yoshika on my lap. "Stop!"

Shizuka stepped on the brake and I watched as Yoshika climbed over the seat and stood on the back of the jeep. I joined her as we looked at a village that was down below, a cloud of dust a ways from us.

I squinted my eyes and looked into the cloud carefully before I heard Yoshika gasp. Inside the cloud was a Neuroi shaped like a tower of some kind.

"_Let us begin..._" I heard the familiar Neuroi language as it was translated into English thanks to my brain and Lionelis.

"That's-" Shizuka started.

"A Neuroi!" Yoshika finished.

"What the shit?!" I yelled. _Lio! Why didn't you warn us before?_

**_You don't think we tried?_ **the core replied. _**We did try telling you not to panic.**_

"Let me contact the nearest base!" Shizuka got up and raced to the radio as she tried raising someone yet again. As usual, it wasn't working. "It's not working! We should retreat to the Bastogne base immediately!"

"We can't!" Yoshika told her. "Head towards the village!"

"It's too dangerous, Pilot Officer!"

"Wait, what?" I asked the little Fuso ex-Witch. "You have a death wish? Without magic, we can't fight against them."

"We'll help the people evacuate!" To the Fuso sergeant, she added, "You buy us some time!"

Shizuka gasped. "Me?"

I sighed as I said, "We've got no choice. They're on the march as we speak." True to my words, there was a small fleet of Neuroi coming towards the village, flying near the ground.

"_Hai!_" Shizuka jumped back into the driver seat and drove down towards the village as Yoshika and I sat down and secured ourselves.

By the time we arrived, a bunch of small plane-like Neuroi were busy tearing the place up. I undid the seat belt and felt Yoshika jump off of me as she started running off while Shizuka climbed behind her seat and ran towards the trailer. I followed her lead and saw her Striker Unit.

"Need any advice?" I asked her as she hopped into her Striker Unit.

"What do you have?" Shizuka asked me as she checked her gun, which looked to be an MG-42 or something.

"Don't let your guard down and don't give up. And above all, don't get hit."

"That sounds basic."

"But it works. Anyways, I'll keep an eye on Yoshika, so don't worry about us."

"But..."

I gave her a weak smile. "Trust me, Shizuka, I won't let her die on me. Not by a long shot."

Shizuka frowned slightly. "Let's hope you can do that still given you nearly caused her death back in Fuso."

"True, however...that was before the Neuroi got involved."

Soon, I watched as the sergeant took off before I reached into my bag and grabbed my pistol's components, piecing them together to form the gun before I inserted one of my clips into it.

Thank God Mio thought about giving me a gun. Now, let's see...what else...

There was also an Arisaka that Shizuka had left behind. And a conveniently-placed holster for the pistol.

_Jackpot!_ I thought as I grabbed them and a spare clip for the Arisaka. _Can use this to snipe the enemies around me. _I then looked to the left and barely stepped back in time to avoid a laser that had sliced through where I had been standing. _Best be careful about my surroundings. Don't need to be blasted with a beam right now. _I then backed up again as another beam cut through where I had been before rolling and avoiding a second beam. Entering a kneeling position after I rolled, I dropped the pistol and holster and aimed the Arisaka at one of the smaller Neuroi before I fired off a shot that went through its core, destroying it. After doing that, I put the Arisaka on the ground and quickly undid my belt just enough to slip the holster on the left side of my hips before re-buckling and setting my pistol inside it.

Okay, where did Yoshika go? I have to prioritize keeping her and the villagers safe right now.

I picked up the Arisaka once more and shot at two more Neuroi before I started running off to go look for Yoshika, who was busy helping some of the injured people to the shelter. For some reason, Lionelis felt some of them following me and so I was forced to turn around and shoot at them, eliminating two of them before they decided to change gears and go after Shizuka.

Who promptly cleared the sky of them.

Good job, Shizuka. You're actually handling them a lot better than I expected...

**_Don't get your hopes up just yet, Roland,_** Lionelis warned me. _**There's another Neuroi in the area.**_

_Where? _I asked as I looked around and saw some sort of Neuroi that looked to be modeled after the first atomic bomb or something as it took on the flying Witch. I watched as one laser it fired demolished a house and Shizuka, being caught off guard by the resulting carnage, barely had time to defend herself before being thrown to the ground.

"Shit!" I called out as Yoshika, who had watched it as well, ran to go tend to the fallen Witch. "Yosh, wait!" I chased after her.

I really hope Shizuka's alright...

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**...And that's the end of the next chapter.**

**This chapter was a bit tougher to set up than I expected because after a while I saw that I had a problem with the timeline, so I attempted to fix it so that it made it more sense. **

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what you thought concerning this chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	8. Epicenter of Hell

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of** _Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Before we get going, it's that time of...writing? Reading?**

**...Actually, I'm not sure what to call it at the moment.**

**Anyways, you probably guessed it. It's time for replying to the reviews:**

_jaku uzumaki_**: Knowing the movie, that might be a toss-up. Considering what Roland's been through, though, he's got a lot on his plate. Especially once this chapter ends. Other than that, thanks for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

_Gamerman22_**: Thanks for the review.**

_Kenshiro92_**: Thanks for the review.**

_William L (Guest)_**: Well, I'm not the only one who made a story based around the timeframe of the movie (I can name one off the top of my head), but considering that I had been writing the stories based on the English dubbed versions so far, it's a bit more difficult because sometimes (especially with the transcript I found for the source of **_Strike Heroes: Himebana_**) the translation don't make sense in one portion when compared to the rest of it. I don't think I have this problem currently concerning the movie apart from the recent confusion of timeframes within said movie, but then again I'm trying to throw in ideas that make sense within the story.**

**Concerning my plans for this series...I'm actually not sure. I have a basic idea, but I will elaborate more on my plans closer to the end. I am aware that the next season will be going in a different direction (given that Roland is affiliated with the Strike Witches in this version you're reading, it'd be a bit odd for me if he was to suddenly change teams), but...well, I think I said enough about it for the moment. Don't want to spoil the plans before the end of this story.**

**...Whew, another mouthful (again, not literally). Sure takes me back...**

**Anyways, you're welcome concerning taking the time to write out a response to your review despite you being a guest reviewer (I make it a point to do this so that I acknowledge that I've read your review and have compared it to the others I get in case they talk about similar things), and thanks for the review. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story.**

_GeneralAshton_**: Thanks for the review. It's always good to hear from someone who's found the series for the first time and read up to the point we're at right now (that's what it seems like to me, so correct me if I'm wrong), especially given the epilogues (so far) closing with a greeting to anyone reaching that point as well as those who stuck around until the end of the current story.**

_Jetfire77_**: Thanks for the review.**

**Well, that's it for the reviews at the moment, so let's get back to the action.**

**Last time we saw our heroes, Shizuka was shot down, Roland and Yoshika went off to go get her, and the Neuroi went on the offensive big-time.**

**Let's see how the former Witches and the girls at Saint Trond's are handling the situation, but first a quick look through a certain set of eyes...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 8: Epicenter of Hell**

_Shizuka's POV_

After driving to the village and coming to a stop, Miyafuji, Roland, and I went off on our directions; the pilot officer ran off to help with the evacuation efforts while Roland and I went to the back.

As I jumped into my Striker Unit, I heard the captain ask, "Need any advice?"

"What do you have?" I asked in return as I checked my MG-42 to make sure that the gun didn't look like it had been damaged along the way. For someone who's fought the Neuroi with their own abilities, he better have at least something interesting to say.

"Don't let your guard down and don't give up. And above all, don't get hit."

"That sounds basic." ...Really? That's something like what I heard back in training. Of course I'm going to do that. Then again, Roland's fought the Neuroi longer than I have. Not at the experience level Major Sakamoto's at, but still rather good.

"But it works. Anyways, I'll keep an eye on Yoshika, so don't worry about us."

"But..."

I watched as he gave me a weak smile, like he was hiding some sort of fear. "Trust me, Shizuka. I won't let her die on me. Not by a long shot."

I frowned slightly. I still remember the incident I have to pull you two out of when I first found you. "Let's hope you can do that still given you nearly caused her death back in Fuso."

"True, however...that was before the Neuroi got involved."

The Neuroi? What do they have to do with you and Miyafuji falling over a waterfall?

I shook my head and took off into the air as I checked my gun again, this time for ammo. "Ammo...loaded." I slid the chamber back to set the first round in before reaching for the safety and switching it to live. "Safety switch...off." I flew ahead and aimed at one of the enemies. "It's okay. Just think of it as practice. Keep you arm to your chest. Use your shoulder to steady the rifle. Get close. Close enough that the target won't fit in your sight. Put the first phalanx of your index finger on the trigger. Shoot immediately and aim true." ...In retrospect, I think Roland would have found that rather...pointless to say to myself. "Now!"

I fired at the enemy I had focused on before one of my rounds hit its core after a few seconds, destroying the enemy.

I was actually happy: "I did it! Just like in the drills!" I then ducked and weaved through returning fire from the other Neuroi as I worked on shooting them down. It felt like they were now trying to focus on me...but then again, it wasn't as much as I was hoping.

I then remembered what Clostermann had told me before we left.

_...once the Neuroi discover that Roland's still alive they'll most likely send everything at you to kill him._

I think I see now...

They're focusing between me, a Witch in the air and taking out their units, and Roland, an ex-Witch and the one who holds a Neuroi core inside him.

Either way, shooting down these Neuroi felt a little...exhilarating.

"The Neuroi are pushovers!" I said as I continued flying, aiming at what I could see to be the last of the small flier. _Is that the last one?_ I fired at it and destroyed it with a few seconds. "I got it!" Suddenly, I looked ahead as a _much_ bigger Neuroi almost instantly zoomed in front of my flight path. I nearly cringed in surprise. "It's huge!" I aimed at it and then watched as it somehow transformed by extending some sort of circular ring from its body, attached by some supports before flying into the air and charging up for an attack. "It transformed?!" I then barely flew past the beam as it missed me, but when I looked at the impact point I found myself looking at it in horror: the unfortunate receiver of the attack was a house that had been nearby, pretty much the only things left being what parts of the corners hadn't weakly toppled over yet. In the center of it was a rather large crater.

Looking back at the enemy, I noticed a laser coming for me, and I barely had time to block it before it forced me to the ground. I lost control of my Striker Unit and let go of my weapon as I fell to the ground, managing to make a shield behind me to cushion my impact but feeling my Striker Unit fly off my legs as a result.

My world was suddenly very pain-filled...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Yoshika's POV_

"Shizuka!" I could only shout as Roland and I raced to the fallen Witch, who was on the ground about two feet from her Striker Unit, which had flown off in the crash. "Get up, Shizuka!" I got on my knees and began examining her for any open wounds. "Shizuka!"

To my slight relief, the sergeant opened her eyes a bit as she painfully lifted her head to glance at me and said, "P-Pilot Officer..."

"Come on, Shizuka," Roland added as he got on his right knee, putting down the Arisaka he had been using. "You can get through this."

"Can you stand?" I asked Shizuka. "We need to get to the shel-" My thoughts were interrupted by the same tower-like Neuroi (I think it was the same one) popping out of the ground like a gopher.

I could only sit there in shock before looking at Roland, who looked angry while staring at the tower-shaped Neuroi.

Oh dear, I don't need to know why he was giving it that look...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Minna's POV_

"The Neuroi armada has grown stronger," Heidemarie told us as she, Barkhorn, Hartmann, and I were around the map of the area once more back at the Saint Trond base. Said map had small pieces on its surface, marking the battles that were going on from our knowledge at the moment.

"This is bad," Barkhorn replied.

"We're surrounded," Hartmann added.

"If this goes on," I included as I examined the map of the battles going on so far, "our entire main force on the front will suffer the same fate."

With all the battles going on, it's getting more difficult to see what their ultimate goal is. Is it Roland? Is it the rest of us in this area? Which one is it?

"What's the top brass doing?!" Barkhorn asked, a little angry.

"The enemy is disrupting our radio frequencies," Heidemarie told her. "They cannot organize a counter-strike."

Hartmann tried the phone that was nearby but didn't seem to get anything, saying, "Wired phones aren't working either."

"No one expected them to go _under_ the border," I said as I looked at the lieutenant.

"It's the same principle that we used in Malta," Barkhorn replied.

True...we had Hartmann and Marseille take a submarine under the defenses then while Roland was in charge of crashing through the "front door". I think the three missile-shaped Neuroi that distracted Barkhorn and Hartmann from the tower-shaped one were taking on Roland's role in that case.

"What do we do, Minna?" Hartmann asked.

"This is a large-scale attack," I told them. "There has to be a hive or at least a carrier-type to hold the smaller Neuroi." The only problem is that we don't know if there are any new hives around the target area and the carrier-type Neuroi has to travel close to its target in order to effectively unleash its passengers onto said target.

Suddenly, the door flew open and we turned to look at...

Perrine?

"We've got trouble!" the Gallian Witch said as Lynne came into view as well.

"We can't contact Yoshika or Roland!" the Britannian Witch added.

This caught us all off guard.

"What?!" Barkhorn and I asked at once.

"What do you mean?" I added.

"We haven't heard anything from their group since yesterday morning, so we tried contacting them on the way here and seeing where they were," Perrine explained. "But there's no signal to use."

I looked at the path and banged my hands on the map and the table. "_Verdammt_...They're most likely going after Roland..."

"Definitely not good," Barkhorn added. "But where are they right now? The Neuroi could strike them anywhere, so..."

Where are you in all this, Roland?

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

As Yoshika worked on moving a now-unconscious Shizuka to someplace a little safer (not sure how a tree's shade works, but no time to question it), I stood there under said shade as I looked at the emerging tower-like Neuroi.

This...this can't be what it's all coming down to...No...

I clenched my fists as I gritted my teeth.

These bastards came here by surprise and started trying to kill innocent lives...and now they managed to knock Shizuka out of commission.

"Those bastards..." I growled as I looked at the tower-type Neuroi. Whatever it's planning to do, I won't let it go through with it. Not on my watch.

Shizuka's right: I've been running from this fight for too long. Now I've got no choice: it's them or us.

I'm not backing down anymore.

"If you're going to attack them," Yoshika said as she stood next to me, a determined look in her eyes, "let me go with you."

"No way, Yosh," I told her. "You'll just end up getting killed."

"But Shizuka's my friend. I can't just stand here and do nothing."

I cringed slightly. The last time she said something like that, it was directed at Mio and concerned Lynette's safety. "I know that, Yoshika. But I promised Shizuka I wouldn't let you die here. I want you staying here in case she wakes up." I reloaded the Arisaka and gave the little Fuso ex-Witch my full attention. "Please...don't follow me, Yosh."

Yoshika looked slightly saddened. "But..."

I sighed. "I know I might die doing this, but come on: I'm not going to just die that easily, am I?"

Yoshika gasped before she jumped at me, catching me in a hug as I felt her lips land on my right cheek. She removed it after a split second. "Alright. I trust you to not die on us. Please don't prove me wrong."

I grinned as I readied the Arisaka. "I won't." I then charged towards the tower-type Neuroi. "I'll be back!"

_Lio,_ I said to the core inside me. _Any ideas?_

**_Hit the_ _core?_** Lionelis asked more than replied.

_...Real original, Lio..._

**_Hey, you try avoiding just talking to these other cores!_**

I sighed. _Can you give me an energy boost or something?_

_**Neuroi Mode? Not really. A bodily boost? Give us a second, but are you sure? Once you receive it, you'll have the entire wrath of all Neuroi in the area to deal with. They'll be able to sense the energy signature and zero in on you for the kill.**_

_You scared of your own brethren?_

**_N-No! It's just that we're not exactly thrilled about being eliminated for the good of the Neuroi. Or for the good of humanity, either._**

_Okay...power me up._

**_Okay...sending power to you...now!_**

I felt my body become charged with renewed energy as I picked up some more speed.

Just in time for some fliers to redirect their attention to the return of a familiar threat.

"_Enemy signature has appeared,_" one of them said. "_Eliminate as soon as possible._"

"Not today, bastards!" I shouted as I aimed and shot down one of the fliers.

_**Energy levels look normal. **_Lionelis informed me. _**I think I can do a bit of enhancing really quick.**_

_What do you have in mind? _I asked the core.

_**You'll see...**_

I rolled to the left to avoid a laser from a flier before I took it out. As I focused on the battle, I noticed my left arm's scars giving off a red glow as a faint glow showed itself against the left side of my nose, from my left eye.

"I don't care what you came here for..." I started as I shot another flier down. "I won't let a single one of you live through this!" I jumped over a flier that had tried ramming into me and raised my right fist over my head, bent at an angle like I was going to punch something on the way down. "Your asses are _mine!_" I felt the familiar red wrist blade form on my right wrist as I punched the unfortunate flier about two seconds behind its partner with my right fist. The blade ripped right through it and, as I landed on one knee, stabbed into the ground. Feeling it disappear, I continued running towards the tower-type Neuroi.

"_You won't live long enough to succeed,_" a Neuroi said as a few fliers hovered in front of my path, ready to shoot me dead.

"_You're going to have to do better than that, assholes!_" I said that in the Neuroi language somehow. _Lio..._

**_If you're going to ask why you just said something in our language, _**the core explained. _**Call it a coincidence for now. We'll explain later. Anyways, you like the blade we made for you?**_

_But I thought I could only make that inside Neuroi Mode?_

**_...You do realize that some of the things you can do in that form is because of us, right? The wrist blades, the beams, the glowing lines..._**

_Okay...can you name one thing you can't do?_

I stopped and jumped back as a laser hit the ground where I used to be and had to sidestep it when it decided to slice its way towards my direction. _**Shields...**_

_Wait, I can use a shield, and the giant Neuroi core in Venezia used me to make shields. Why can't you just do that?_

_**Other than your apparent lack** **of magic at the moment? **_I rolled under a flier that tried ramming me once more and shot at it with the Arisaka, killing it. _**It takes a lot of energy to even do that. Energy we didn't have at the time. Besides, what good's the whole 'symbiosis' thing if we had access to your shields?**_

_So in other words...you scratch my back by giving me this sort of power, and I scratch yours by protecting both of us? Hardly sounds fair..._

**_True, but you might as well live with it. Flier to your left._**

I shot the Arisaka to my left and felt a lot of white particles fly past me. _Thanks._

_**No problem. You might want to see where that thing's heading, though.**_

_Heading? _I looked at the towering Neuroi and noted which direction it was going. _Looks to be...not sure. I do know we have to distract it somehow._ I then dodged another laser and sliced the offender in half with the wrist blade, being forced to reload the Arisaka afterward...with ammo I didn't have. _Shit, gonna have to change weapons._ I dropped the Arisaka and pulled out my pistol, feeling the weight inside my hands.

Soon, I heard something revving towards me, and when I looked, I could see that it was...

Yoshika? Driving the jeep?

"Oh jeez!" I shouted as I used the bodily boost Lionelis gave me to jump over the hood of the jeep, pull off a quick backflip with a half-twist in the air, and land on Shizuka's MG-42, which was sitting in the passenger seat, rear first.

"You alright, Roland-kun?" Yoshika asked me as she focused on the road.

"Yeah." My ass hurts now... "What are you doing, though? I told you to stay back with Shizuka!"

"We don't have time for that. The Neuroi's going towards the air shelter, so I decided I'm going to be luring it away."

"By yourself? You've got some serious guts, Yoshika, but you're going to get yourself killed!"

"Your odds of living are about the same as mine, Roland!" I blinked: I think she's completely serious about this if she called me by my name and not the nickname she gave me. "You just have the problem of having a Neuroi core inside you." She then turned the wheel sharply as the vehicle came to a complete stop.

"Alright then. Let me shoot. I can hold the gun up for longer."

"Right."

I jumped out of the jeep and, turning around, grabbed the MG-42 carefully. I really hope Shizuka had some ammo left in this thing. I raised it up to the tower-type Neuroi and aimed my shot carefully.

"_I'm over here!_" I shouted in Neuroispeak (I'll call it that for now until I figure out what the actual language was) before I fired at the tip.

The tower-type Neuroi responded by opening its top section and flipping the sides inside-out.

"It noticed us!" Yoshika shouted as I hopped back into the jeep, the MG-42 still in my hands.

"Let's hope this plan doesn't just backfire on us!" I added as the little Fuso ex-Witch made a quick U-turn in time to avoid a laser from the now-taunted enemy. We felt the debris from the ground as it rained over us, but we didn't really pay it too much of our attention.

Soon, Yoshika drove us out of the village, the tower-type Neuroi hot on our tail and firing lasers at us.

"This thing's got a worse aim than a Vogon," I commented before a lucky shot hit the area between the trailer with the Launch Unit and the jeep, sending the rear end of our vehicle into the air as our bodies lurched forward.

SMACK!

Both Yoshika and I gave off a cry of pain as we hit the steering wheel and the dashboard face first respectively. Based on Yoshika wiping under her nose with her right sleeve, I think she hit her nose and got a nosebleed. My nose was stinging a lot as well, something I was too focused on elsewhere to worry about.

"That was close," I added as I turned to look at the Neuroi, which was still chasing us. The enemy was charging up another shot when Yoshika made a left turn down another road, the resulting laser missing us. A second laser that was quickly fired achieved the same result as its predecessor. I still looked back as we flew over a bridge, a laser destroying it in the process. "Perrine better not get mad about that one even though she's not around." I then watched as the tower-type Neuroi closed its top and burrowed back underground. "Hey, Yosh. Stop really quick."

Yoshika applied the brakes on top of a hill we were driving over as Lionelis worked on sensing for the enemy while I stood up and walked over to the back of the slightly-damaged jeep and looked at the damage the Neuroi had caused. There were a lot of scorch marks in the earth from where the lasers had landed, and the bridge we had passed over was, of course, destroyed, making us unable to head back without some sort of speed boost (I think).

"Huh," I said as I looked at it. "It's gone. Wonder where it went..."

_**Roland... **_Lionelis said as we started hearing crows squawking.

_Don't tell me..._ I replied as I turned around.

Yoshika and I watched as the tower-type Neuroi popped out of the ground rather slowly as a bunch of crows were flying around in a frenzy of sorts. The enemy then reopened its top portion, and I actually noticed the different-colored core behind the walls.

_Aw shit..._ I told myself as I tried controlling my emerging fear. _This looks a lot like the _Ascension _incident...only I can't fly to the core and use a grenade..._

I then gritted my teeth as I hopped back into the passenger seat and said, "Yoshika, drive at it!"

Yoshika obliged as the jeep took off towards the enemy, which was starting to charge up a laser to finish us off.

"Keep driving at it, Yoshika," I said as I readied the MG-42 and took aim. "I'll shoot it when I get a chance."

About a second before the jeep would have collided with the Neuroi, Yoshika shoved me out of the seat just in time for the laser to fly down the path we had been driving, sliding the equipment I had brought with me (I had set them behind the passenger seat to make some room) out with us. Instinctively, I cradled her as best as I could as I let go of the gun, rolling down the hill rather violently (given that we had jumped out of a moving car...kids, do not try that at home) before we reached the bottom, Yoshika on top of me as I laid on my back.

Jeez, how much more abuse can I take? My body's pretty much aching all over.

I let go of the little Fuso ex-Witch and felt her roll off of me before I flipped onto my chest and crawled over to the MG-42, picking it up as we stood up.

I only have one shot at this, otherwise...we're dead.

I pulled the trigger as I held it at hip level and sprayed bullets up along the tower-type Neuroi's body, soon hitting the core. In a split second after I shot the core dead, I could see two lasers starting to be charged.

Crap. Do I have time to-

I felt something shove me from my left, and when I turned my body to see who had done it I could see Yoshika as she was falling over.

_Yoshika..._ I thought to myself before the lasers came, ripping through the ground behind Yoshika and sending us flying. I tried grabbing Yoshika to protect her from the imminent damage, but I was too beat up from being treated like a ragdoll and as such was pretty much too weak to move any longer.

Soon, I felt my world go black once more as I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Shizuka's POV_

I opened my eyes slowly and was greeted with the view of the base of a tree.

...Why am I looking at a tree? For that matter, what happened to put me here?

Let me think...I got ambushed by a Neuroi, hit the ground, and then Miyafuji and Roland...

Oh no...

I sat up quickly as I was ready to go looking for them before I noticed a lot of white particles off in the distance over the village. It looked like it was from a Neuroi...the tower-type one?

I also couldn't see my MG-42 nearby.

I stood up and looked at the particles as my left hand clutched my right upper arm.

"Pilot Officer Miyafuji..." I said. "Captain Sage..." I then gritted my teeth as I turned around and slowly walked over to my Striker Unit, which had its halves about two feet or so from each other.

While I wanted to mourn over the deaths of my comrades and idols, now wasn't the time for that. Besides, I can't tell if they were dead until I got a good look at them.

Climbing in rather weakly, I took off and flew over to where I had seen the particles, soon reaching the two heroes before I landed on my chest in exhaustion. Getting onto my feet, I rushed over to the duo.

Roland was lying on his back, Miyafuji chest first on top of him as her left hand rested on his right shoulder. The captain had his head turned to his left while Miyafuji's was turned in the opposite direction while it laid on his chest.

"Pilot Officer!" I shouted as I pulled Miyafuji off of Roland and held her in my arms gently. "Wake up, Pilot Officer!" I placed my left hand on her right side before I felt something wet. Looking at it, I could see that it was blood. I examined her body more closely: there was a bloody patch on her right side, almost directly underneath her chest's side. In horror, I looked at Roland's as I tilted his head very gently up a bit. He seemed to have received a cut across his left eyebrow and had blood coming out of the left side of his mouth, like he had bitten himself during the attack. Looking at his left arm, I could see that there was a lot of blood around that area, most likely as a result of sliding around or something. He also seemed to have some traces of blood under his nose.

Putting the captain's head down gently, I soon heard Miyafuji starting to stir. Looking at her as she opened her eyes, there was only one thing she decided to say.

"Shizuka?" she asked. "How's the Neuroi?" She then grimaced in pain. "The village?"

"The village's safe!" I told her with tears starting to come to my eyes. "You and Captain Sage saved everyone!"

"I see...that's good. And Roland-kun?"

"He's..." I stopped. I don't know what to tell her: should I tell her that the Neuroi Witch is no more, or do I lie and tell her that he's only unconscious?

As if she knew the answer herself, Miyafuji gave off a slight smile. "I see...at least...we went out together..." She then closed her eyes and relaxed herself.

No...no no no...don't die on me! "Pilot Officer! Pilot Officer Miyafuji!" I then heard a rumbling noise and looked outward as I saw a carrier-type Neuroi emerge out of the ground and get into a stationary position at an angle, firing off a lot of small missile-like Neuroi that soon started surrounding it. "So many..." What do I do now? I'm not Miyafuji _or_ Roland! I still have magic left (if only barely), and I don't have a Neuroi core inside me.

Better try the radio...

"This is Shizuka Hattori," I said into the earpiece inside my left ear once my left hand touched it. "We're near Saint-Hubert. We were attacked by the Neuroi and Pilot Officer Miyafuji suffered serious injuries. Captain Roland Sage, the former Neuroi Witch I found while in Fuso, is nearby, injured as well though it doesn't seem as bad. I request immediate assistance. I repeat, this is Shizuka Hattori." All I could hear was the familiar sound of static. "Why? Why won't it work?" I then remembered something.

_The Neuroi were able to use Sanya's frequency to try catching her off guard in Britannia and there was an invisible one with its core looking like a bug in Romagna. I find it hard to put them past developing the ability to block signals based on that._

That was what Roland said to us yesterday evening, when we had made the stop to help the victims of the landslide.

"Is this it?" I asked as I looked at the Neuroi and the particles around us. "The Neuroi are disrupting the signal?"

I then heard Yoshika give off a quick squeak of pain, which snapped me out of thinking.

"Pilot Officer!" I said quickly as I looked at her injury while the pilot officer took labored breaths.

I know what I need to do now...

I laid Miyafuji back on top of Roland gently before reaching into my right jacket pocket and, pulling out two earpieces, stuck one of them into the pilot officer's left ear. I placed the other one in Roland's right ear.

"Please hold out, Pilot Officer Miyafuji," I told my superior. "I'll be back."

I got up, turned around, and ran to my Striker Unit, ready to go get help.

No matter what, I can't let their deaths end up in vain...

XXXXXXXXXX

_Minna's POV_

Heidemarie, Barkhorn, Hartmann, Perrine, Lynne, and I flew towards the location of the emergence of Neuroi, Saint-Hubert.

"This the place, Minna?" I heard Barkhorn ask me.

"Yes," I told her as we each had our guns ready in case we got attacked, "this is the focus of the Neuroi emergence. Be careful."

"This interference is horrible," Hartmann added.

"Is this also the enemy's doing?" Perrine asked.

"Yeah," I told the Gallian Witch. "They jammed our comm system to prevent any reinforcements."

"Or to keep us from stopping their plan to kill Roland," Barkhorn included.

"I hope Yoshika and Roland are alright out there," Lynne said in a concerned tone. "They have to be okay."

I nodded my head sadly. They were the two main reasons why we had fought as hard as we did. If either of them died out there...especially Roland...

"Your antenna's our only hope, Major Heidemarie," I said to Heidemarie, whose magic antennae were active currently.

I think Heidemarie looked at me really quick before turning her head away with a blush and the word "U-Understood..." She then looked surprised. "I can faintly hear someone's voice."

"A voice?" Barkhorn asked.

"What are they saying?" I added. Who managed to get a signal through despite this current situation?

"The interference is so bad I can't tell," Heidemarie told us. After a few seconds, her antennae glowed brighter. "Broadcast recorded. Sending."

The radio in my ear started making out some words. Some female voice yelling, "Save Miyafuji and Sage!"

"Miyafuji?!" I asked in shock. "_Roland?!_"

Everyone else said the same thing in the following order: Barkhorn (who used Roland's last name instead of his first name), Hartmann, Perrine, and Lynne (the last two used Miyafuji's first name instead).

No...please...don't let them be dead...

Not Miyafuji...

Not...not my Roland-kun!

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And that's the end of the current chapter.**

**Okay, since I did promise that I'd make an announcement concerning the secret project, I'll say it now (along with other things): the secret project that I will be revealing for now is Project GS (I'll put in the full name when I put it up on my profile page), which you'll have to go and see to have an idea of what it's going to be like. Please note, though: just because it doesn't happen to be the next entry in the **_Strike Heroes _**series at the moment does not mean that I'm done after this story. I will elaborate on it more when I conclude this story. As for other secret projects, there are a few more but I don't have a set idea of when one will be out, so I felt that I can't just announce it without an approximate idea of when.**

**Also, and this is a thought I just had: what do you guys think of me making a forum on this site (if possible) for the series? It'd be a place where, even if you don't feel like leaving a review here or on the other stories, you can ask questions about the universe and check up on characters and storylines. It's up to you guys if it sounds like a good idea: I'll decide based on how people feel about the idea.**

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what your thoughts are as well as what you thought of this chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	9. An Extinguished Power Reignited

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter in **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**.**

**Alright before we get going on the chapter, let me address the reviews I've received for the last chapter:**

_Colonel Amiruddin Arif_**: Yep, the end is indeed getting closer with each update. This chapter will be addressing the cliffhanger from the last chapter, so some questions will be answered as well.**

_Gamerman22_**: Roland isn't well known for dying that easily, but even he has to know his limits. Other than that, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this coming chapter.**

_FETTupFICTION1903_**: I do research both using the Strike Witches wiki (to learn more about a particular Witch, for example; how I ended up using Adolfine back in **_Strike Heroes_**. That, and it was luck that I found her page on that site****) and other sites (looking up more info concerning the F-14s as well as how aura-reading works in general), but I do understand that there are lots of things I could be using. I don't really use them because it doesn't seem to fit in with the storyline and the world in particular (plus, as this is based off the Japanese version of the movie, anyone who watched it can probably understand the confusion without me going into too much detail. However, please feel free to correct me if you feel that I'm wrong). I do have some basic knowledge of some of the battles of WW2 and can do research if I want to learn more about them in depth. I can tell you this: since there isn't a third season out currently (and if it is, it's not going to cover the 501th based on what I know), I will have to rely more on research when crafting the stories from this point of the series onward. Apart from that, thanks for the review and I hope you continue reading and enjoying.**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: It's one of my favorite things when I write the story because I've been inspired by stories that place characters from a world like Roland's into one that they've never lived in. At the same time, in any story, I feel that there would be some changes to that series when more characters are involved, whether good or bad. I guess the main thing (in my opinion) is that the writer finds a way of making the story interesting while at the same time not reveal too many twists and turns (these are good, but at the same time it helps to have some semblance of what made the series to begin with). Not too sure if that makes sense, but aside from that thanks for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

_Kilo 6_**: Huh, when I last looked Shizuka's gun didn't look like one Yoshika would use. I guess you learn something new every day. Anyways, I will file that away for future reference. As for the other half of your review, I will have that answer at the end of the chapter. Besides that, thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

_jaku uzumaki_**: Thanks for the review.**

_Redcollector (Guest)_**: Thanks for the review.**

_Jetfire77_**: Thanks for the review.**

**Alright, there's the reviews for the last chapter, so let's take a look at what's going on so far...**

**Let's see: Roland and Yoshika are severely injured, Shizuka got a message through the interference, and at least Minna's group are aware of the fact that the two people who seemed to be the main thread of the group are slowly fading.**

**Wonder what Roland's seeing right now as he's laying unconscious...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 9: An Extinguished Power Reignited**

_Roland's POV_

Groaning, I opened my eyes and found myself in a strange location.

It wasn't like anything I remembered: it wasn't a sea of nothing but red light, but at the same time it wasn't purple or any location I've been to.

I could feel some grass waving around me as a gentle breeze brushed past my exposed skin. Looking out into the area I could see above my body, I could see a clear blue sky with not even a trace of a cloud in its perfect area.

For a second, it really felt peaceful around here...

"Roland..."

"Hmm?" I groaned as I sat up rather painfully, trying to keep from crying out in pain. My right hand flew to my left forearm as I gritted my teeth and fought through the pain.

The voice I just heard...it sounds completely unfamiliar...

Where am I?

I got onto my feet rather weakly and struggled to remain standing. My entire body was feeling strained, and I swore my stomach was trying not to make me hurl or something.

"Turn around..." the voice from before added.

I did as I was told (rather slowly) and saw a rather...odd sight: sitting on the grass behind where I was were a Doberman, a German Shorthair Pointer, a Scottish Fold, a Chartreux, a gray wolf, a dachshund, and some sort of weird small dog.

I could only look at the newcomers as I tried figuring out why I was looking at what I saw.

...Why do these...animals look like they belonged somewhere?

For that matter, why are they even here?

"Hi?" I asked as I tilted my head to the left. Why is it I have to figure out why there were animals here as well as where this place was?

"Hello, Roland-san," the weird small dog said in a rather...deep voice.

...Why do I have the feeling that the voice doesn't match the look? "Hello...there?"

The dog sighed. "You sure are oblivious right now, aren't you?"

Hey, in my defense I don't usually get knocked out and placed inside a dreamscape with any sign of life around, let alone grass (and some dandelions? I don't know, but there were more plants than just the grass now that I was standing and looking at the dog) and animals. "Depends..."

As if they knew me somehow, the gray wolf, the Chartreux, and the Scottish Fold walked over to me and took a seat next to me, the cats laying near my feet and the wolf to my right. The Doberman took a seat next to the wolf, and the German Shorthair Pointer found a spot about two feet from my left side. The weird small dog walked over and sat on the ground right in front of me. "Well, seeing as you don't seem to recognize me right now, maybe I'll give you a bit to think about it. Take a look at me carefully and see if you can figure it out."

I righted my head and studied the small dog as carefully as I could. I still can't seem to place where I've seen it before...unless...

I closed my eyes and tried imagining the girls and Draco with their familiars showing.

Not Sanya's, Lynette's, Perrine's, Francesca's, Charlotte's, or Draco's (they were all felines...except for Charlotte's, last I checked bunnies were coiffeurs or something).

There was a small tail that didn't seem like it had been docked, so I can eliminate Minna's (hers was a wolf like the one next to me), Gertrud's, Mio's, and Eila's (only because her familiar's tail was long).

Which leaves Erica's and...

Hang on a second...

"Yoshika?" I asked the dog. Now that I think about it, I've seen those ears and tail before on Yoshika, before she lost her magic.

The dog barked in slight praise and added, "Yep. But I'm not exactly Yoshika-san. My name is Kuji Kanesada, her familiar."

Okay...so if he's Yoshika's familiar...then...

What about these other animals?

"These are the familiars of the Witches whose magic you copied," a new voice said as something teleported behind Kuji. It looked to be an exact copy of me, right down to the clothes I had flown into combat...just with the red lines on his arms and the glowing red eyes, and his voice sounded like it belonged to a wise man. "The ones you came to trust, Roland."

"Ah, my old friend," Kuji said calmly as he turned his head to look behind him and saw the newcomer. "It's good to see you again, though I wished it was under better circumstances."

"Who the hell are you?" I asked as I pointed to the red-lined me. Why does he look so familiar?

"We are the one you designated 'Lionelis'," the newcomer told me.

Lionelis? "...Lio? Why do you look like me in Neuroi Mode?"

"It was easier to add a distinguishing feature than to try creating our own model for the moment. Besides, the only other one we had was that of Commander Ellios, but we didn't want to confuse you further."

"Okay...so why are there animals here? Why am I talking to Yoshika's familiar? And what's going on with me?"

"Relax, Roland-san," Kuji told me as he looked at me. "You're in critical condition right now. You've got wounds on your left forearm and some marks on your face, you've bitten the inside of your mouth or something, and you have internal bleeding from taking the brunt of yours and Yoshika-san's fall. In essence..."

In essence...I'm...dying? I frowned. "Why are you all here, then?"

"We're here to support you and try to keep you alive. Besides, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"And that would be...?" What does a dog that resides as Yoshika's familiar have to tell me? For that matter, what is he even supposed to be like?

"I was the one who sealed the Neuroi inside a shrine years ago. It was the only way to keep them from trying to harm humanity, but after a while it was rather...boring. So I manifested and left, hoping that the seal would be able to hold them back. However...that wasn't the case. The seal weakened in my absence, and soon the Neuroi were starting to be unleashed on the world. Meanwhile, I formed a connection with Yoshika-san as her familiar. The one you named Lionelis was one of the few Neuroi who could talk to non-Neuroi, and so while I was at the shrine we talked."

"So...that means...you're..." He's the one who caused the Neuroi to start their invasion and ultimately led to Lionelis fusing with me?

"I'm sorry, Roland-san. I share some of the blame for the Neuroi threat you have been dealing with. I didn't think much about it at the time, but with the destruction and the prospect of dying with Yoshika-san and you...I should have given more thought to my choices."

I sat on the ground gently and hugged my knees to my chest. "Why should I keep living, though, then? I don't even belong here; Lionelis brought me here against my will. Wouldn't it be better if I stopped living just to make life easier for everyone else here?"

Kuji growled. "You're just going to give up and die then? You _baka_...you weren't the one who made a mistake and ended up watching someone else get dragged into it. You have no idea what it's like to have something like that happen to you!"

I snapped as I rolled onto my knees and looked right into Kuji's eyes, leaning in as close as I could. "What difference does it make, Kuji? I let Mio nearly be killed by a Neuroi, even if it ended up being part of the plot. I led Yoshika into a Neuroi nest, a goddamn Neuroi nest, just to learn more about what was going on. Hell, I chose to try sacrificing my life to fire the Yamato's cannons into the hive over Venezia. Besides, I've lost a lot since I came here. I lost my chance at having a normal life, I watched Commander Ellios die in my arms, I lost my own team's trust for a while because I hid my own identity...you're not the only being who's made mistakes and watched others suffer for them. So why should I even bother living still if all I'm going to do is bring harm to my friends? Hell, my own _girlfriend_?"

"Because you are Roland Sage, the Neuroi Witch," Lionelis told me sternly. "Not a shoddy piece of shit stain on the face of the earth. No one else in our race's history has ever seen a mere human, especially one from outside this universe, be able to control a core that was forced upon him the way you have. You've achieved feats that would have taken years of rigorous training to even break the surface of how to perform them. You even managed to perform a Neuroi Explosion and survive...even if it did cost you your magic to stay alive, you still managed to do it. So shut up, get back on your feet, and go kill all enemies in your path!"

"No thanks, Lio." I said that with the most point-blank tone I could muster.

When I turned my head to look at him, I think Lionelis looked genuinely shocked. "What? You said so yourself, you let Mio nearly die because of a choice you made. If you're willing to make sure nothing like that ever happens again, then why do you choose to _refuse_ to fight?"

"Because this whole war is pointless! All that's been going on is death on both sides. Don't you see? The Neuroi have been killing humans left and right without any remorse, and humanity is making choices that sacrifice their own people, even if those choices are for the good of everyone else. We're both the monsters here!"

"Would a monster have chosen to stick by his friends when it would have only hindered his rampage? Would he have chosen to fall in love knowing that one day he would turn and attack all he held dear? Face it, Roland. You know as well as we all do that you're just trying to hide from this final moment. Besides, what about your friends? What about Shizuka? Your girlfriend, who nearly lost you during Operation Mars? What about _Yoshika_, the girl who did so much for you and is dying right next to you as we speak?"

I stopped. "What?"

"We're detecting Shizuka going higher into the air trying to get a signal out to your friends, a bunch of Neuroi on her tail."

"Yoshika-san's bleeding out, trying to stay alive as long as she can," Kuji added. "You are not alone, Roland-san. You'll never be alone. Not as long as you're got friends like the ones you've been making."

"After all, wasn't it at the end of your promise to Lucchini before Operation Mars started when you stated, 'If we work together as a team and stay strong, we'll never go quietly into the night. Why? Because we are the Strike Witches'?"

I blinked as I thought of everything I've done since coming here.

Helping Lynette get her first Neuroi kill...

Me snapping at Gertrud when she wanted to die...

Sticking with Sanya despite her worry about my, Eila's, and Yoshika's safety...

Flying into the air that fateful day to protect everyone, triggering Neuroi Mode for the first time...

Going to the Neuroi nest with Yoshika...

Saving Minna, Gertrud, and Erica from Maloney's men...

The morale rallies Adolfine asked me to do...

Rejoining the Strike Witches to help protect Romagna...

Learning more about being a Witch from Anna...

Rescuing Lynette from the Neuroi she was trying to distract and working with Yoshika and my second stage to take it down...

The events leading up to Operation Mars...

...

Everyone on the team had been treating me like I was one of them and trusted me with their lives, even after we learned about Neuroi Mode and the girls learned about my true origins. They all banded together to rescue me from the core during Operation Mars, and Yoshika made her sacrifice to help free me...

"Alright," I said as I stood up and gave off a determined expression. "It's my fault that Yoshika's hurt. It's my fault these damn Neuroi are attacking this harshly. It's my fault I've been running away from this fight. Now it's time I teach them that if they choose to keep messing with humanity...with my friends..." I then pointed straight ahead of me with my right index finger. "...then I'm going to tear a hole right through their shells and blast every single goddamn one of them off the face of the earth!" I then grimaced slightly. My body's still a little sore...

"You might want to slow down there a bit, Roland-san," Kuji told me.

"You don't have your magic," Lionelis added. "How do you expect to handle a carrier-type Neuroi with literally a thousand missile-like Neuroi poised to defend their main unit?"

"Didn't you say so yourself, Lio?" I asked him with a smirk. "Shizuka's up in the air. If she's successful in contacting the others and says the right lines, there's nothing those girls won't tear through to avenge us. Besides, we're not dead yet...right?"

Lionelis nodded. "We see. So we guess all that's left is to unlock yours and Yoshika's magic potential once more."

I blinked. "Wait...My magic I can understand as you said that it was recharging, but our magic powers were locked?"

"Crisis point, Roland. You know that a hero with hidden potential is able to bring out that potential in a stressful situation. This is one of those times, right? It's you two dying here or you two living, so it's time to decide. If you're really willing to continue carrying the burden of being the Neuroi Witch, then..." Lionelis held out his left hand. "...take my hand."

I closed my eyes, nodded, stepped over the cats (who ended up sitting up once I shifted my feet), and walked over to the core's representative body as I gripped his left hand with my right hand. Opening my eyes, Lionelis and I turned around and stood back-to-back as I placed my left hand on my chest, curled up into a fist. I felt my body become reinvigorated with signs of a powerful energy as my watch started glowing brightly.

"I won't let anyone else die because of me," I announced. "It's time to get back into the fight and finish this!"

"That's the spirit!" Kuji barked in agreement as the other animals sounded off in approval (the dogs howled while the cats gave off a quick meow). "Good luck, and don't you dare let Yoshika-san die once you begin kicking Neuroi tail!"

I saw the world turn to white...and felt the pain from before coming back, even stronger...

"Miyafuji! Sage!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Opening my eyes slowly, I could feel my entire body feeling like I went through hell and back.

Well, it only really felt like that because we just avoided being sliced in half by a Neuroi beam, now that I think about it.

"Miyafuji, Roland," I heard a voice in my ear say (I was unable to actually place the voice at the moment). "Answer, please!"

"Are you okay, you two?" another voice asked.

"I...can...hear you..." I heard Yoshika say in return.

I turned my head to the right and patted the ground with it, adding, "Sage...here..."

"Are you alright, you two?" a voice said. I still don't know who's talking right now...

"Yoshika! Roland! Respond!" I heard...is that Lynne's voice?

Soon, we could hear more voices.

"Wait for us, you two!"

"Yoshika, Roland, we're coming!"

"Pilot Officer Miyafuji, Captain Sage," we heard Shizuka say through our radios, "did you hear that? Help's on the way!"

That's good to hear...though my body aches...

"Where are you two?"

Ow...how long do I have before the internal bleeding actually gets to me? I need to figure out my current situation.

"They're...calling us..." Yoshika said weakly. "The Five Hundred and First..."

Let's see...Yoshika's laying on her back as she laid on top of me, my left arm's throbbing painfully, I can taste blood in my mouth (is it my blood?), and I could feel some stinging around my left eyebrow.

I couldn't really move unless I moved Yoshika, and I can't really see her status right now...

"We must go..."

And she's shifting around on my body as she tried turning herself around to look at me, her chest now against mine.

You know, if I didn't have a girlfriend already and I was about Yoshika's age...I'd say something. Alas, I'd end up looking like a pervert right now.

"Are you alright, Roland-kun?" Yoshika asked me.

"Yeah," I told her. "Just had a dream while I was unconscious. What about you?"

"I'm fine...I have a gash in my side, but...I think I can..." She closed her eyes and placed her hands on my chest as I watched the ears of her familiar (the ears of Kuji, the one I had just finished talking to) and felt her aura wash over me. Out of reaction, I felt my green aura envelop us to make a sort of aquamarine color. "We must go...to where...they are! Dual Tech...Cure..."

"Two..." I gave off a weak smile as I felt our magic go to work, healing my internal injuries. I felt my left arm get closed up as it was being healed, and I could feel whatever stinging feeling I had around my left eyebrow disappear as well as the injury I had caused in my mouth and the nose injury we had suffered earlier. As we used our renewed magic, I noticed that there was a surprisingly big dome of magic energy. Soon, I watched as Yoshika healed herself and soon I noticed that her magic circle was on the ground underneath me. Not thinking a whole lot, I gave her the tightest hug I could muster currently once she finished healing her body. "I'm so glad to see you still alive..."

"Roland-kun...you're hurting me..." Yoshika gave off a pained chuckle.

"Hmm?" I let go quickly as Yoshika gave off a groan and sat up. "Sorry. Got a little carried away, what with us nearly dying and all..."

"That's alright." Yoshika stood onto her feet, and I climbed onto mine rather slowly. We then looked at the mess before us: near us was a large ship-like Neuroi that had a bunch of smaller, missile-like ones flying around it. "Oh no..."

"It's alright, Yosh. We're here now, right?" I then thought of something. "Hey, uh...Yosh?"

"What is it?"

"Did you...get your, um..."

"Magic back?" I watched as Yoshika gave off a nervous chuckle. "Yeah...I guess it was because of the fact that I finally let the fact that you got hurt sink in as well as the others needing us. Isn't that weird?"

Given that I learned about Neuroi Mode when one of you were in danger and I went into an upgraded version because Lynette nearly bit it once... "Not really. I can definitely relate, though."

"What about you?"

"Erm...I had one weird dream..." I wonder if Kuji appeared to her like he did for me...

Before I could say anything else, we looked above us and saw that a bunch of missile-shaped Neuroi were charging up their attacks, aiming right at us.

No way...I'm not going to let this become a repeat...not again...

"Yoshika..." I started as I reached out for Shizuka's gun with my gyrokinesis powers. "I want you to get down and let me handle this." I soon felt the gun enter my right hand, and I brought it to bear on one of the Neuroi. I placed my right index finger inside the trigger well, ready to fight back...

Only to watch as all of them were destroyed, disappearing in puffs of white.

"An attack?" Yoshika asked. "Where from?"

"Who can do that much damage?" I asked as I pulled my finger out of the trigger well and pointed the gun at the ground. Who's able to take out that many enemies in about a second? I don't see any Witches aside from Shizuka around here, and the Fuso sergeant doesn't have her gun right now (*cough cough*)...

"I'll do anything to protect my protégé! And one of my friends!" an extremely familiar voice called out.

"Well, what do ya know..." I said as I sighed with a smile. I really wonder who that could be...

"Major Sakamoto!" Yoshika cried out as we relaxed.

"Hey there, ma'am," I added into the radio. "What brings you out here right now? I doubt it's for milk and cookies."

"Based on your attempt to die recently, I wouldn't be joking like that," Mio's voice scolded me. "Besides, you two are lucky that Hattori managed to even get a radio call out around here. And in case you missed it, Sage, the _Yamato_ is nearby, using the river to travel."

Yeah, I definitely know that. The "voices" I talked to earlier told me...Wait, the _Yamato_? Isn't that some sort of battleship or something? "But still, why are you here, major?"

"I may not have magic, but I'm still a member of the Strike Witches, aren't I?"

"...Yeah...?"

"Besides, I'd be more concerned with the others."

Okay, why is she...oh, right, the others...

"I've got Miyafuji's gear with me as well as a few things for you, Sage," Mio added.

"For me?" I asked. What exactly does she have?

"You're going to need a certain bracelet in order to defend yourself on your own, right?"

As I heard Minna give the orders to engage the Neuroi around us (somehow, I'm thinking Shizuka's in shock and awe about this development), I looked at Yoshika. "Yosh, should I stay or go?"

"You might be better off getting your gear from Major Sakamoto," Yoshika told me. "I know how your Striker Unit works."

Oh, right! I don't need to wait for a Striker Unit; my watch is _connected_ to one! "Alright, I'll get to Mio and get the Barrier Bracelet. You stay here and wait for the major."

"_Hai._ Just don't die, alright?"

"You kidding? I'm Roland Sage, remember?"

_Lio?_ I asked the core.

_**You should be golden for using your Striker Unit,**_ Lionelis told me. _**In fact, we've got a surprise in store for you when you activate it...**_

_Better not explode on me..._ I walked away from the little Fuso Witch a bit and set my left fist on my chest, focusing my magic back into the watch.

I felt the familiar Striker Unit I had used before I lost my magic as it lifted my feet into the air and started forming the shell...but something felt different. I looked at the Striker Unit and was surprised: the device looked completely different, redesigned.

Where to begin? The basic body shape was still there, but I had a small set of fins in the back along with a set of wings that stretched up to about a foot from my hips. The fins in the back were pointed like how a plane would have them, the diagonal edge pointing up. The decals from the previous model were still present, the Jolly Rogers emblem laying on the sides. The color scheme was a bit weird, though: the main body was a shade of green that seemed to look like it reflected a forest green hue while the edges of the back fins had a crimson red stripe running along them. Slapped onto the corresponding side (left for the left half and right for the right half) and around where my knees should be was a small red Neuroi core, and the wings had a black stripe along the front edge. Finally, an emblem I had been given was laying on top of each wing (on the side pointing behind me): the same emblem I had on the back of my vest.

_Lio?_ I asked, stunned. _When did you..._

**_You like it?_** the core asked. _**We had some spare time to mess with your Striker Unit's design, seeing as you weren't able to use it without magic and it was just sitting here in limbo.**_

_...Huh?_

_**We believe the term would be "hammerspace" or something.**_

_What?_

_***sigh* You realize that we jumped out at you from a computer screen, right? We had some time floating through what you people called in your time "the Internet". Inevitably, we were bound to pick up some information from left field. For instance, did you know that we managed to see a few anime titles just recently?**_

I blinked physically. _Okay, how the hell did you manage to actually say..._ I sighed mentally. _...oh damn, I can't do it...anyways, how the hell do you put the sigh command into an actual piece of dialogue? And for that matter, how do you manage to keep the anime without an Internet connection?_

_**Trivial matters, Roland. Anyways, you better get it started up and we'll walk you through the tutorials.**_

_Tutorials?_

**_Don't fret. We're not going to turn into some naggy NPC here._**

_Okay..._

_**In case you ask, it works like just like the last model did. Just focus and go for it.**_

_If you say so..._

I focused and let the engine start up.

"I'll be back!" I told the little Fuso Witch before I took off along the grass and entered the air, feeling the wind rush past my bare arms. _Can't I go any faster? I thank you for upgrading this, but..._

**_Okay,_** Lionelis told me as the Neuroi surrounding the ship-like one caught wind of me. _**We guess it's time to try out a new feature we added in.**_

_Which is?_ I asked.

_**You know the Jet Striker from your time in Romagna? **_I mentally nodded my head in understanding._ **Well, we managed to fit your Striker Unit with what we call "Jet Mode" capabilities.**_

_...Seriously?_

**_Hey, cut us some slack. You've been out of the loop for a while, so we figured the extra speed would help you out here. Like the Jet Striker, you'd be able to go very fast using it. However, like the Jet Striker, it does require a lot of magic to maintain, so we recommend not using it for a long period of time or in multiple succession. Want to try it out?_**

_...Sure?_

**_Just focus on switching the engine's propulsion method._**

Not wanting to go further into the details of how that made sense to Lionelis, I focused and felt the propellers die down as I heard a faint whirring sound as something changed at the bottom. _Uh, Lio?_

_**Give it a second...**_

I felt myself starting to fall down for a bit. _Lio?_

**_Hold on..._**

I was about to just say, "Screw it" and activate the propellers again before I felt my body suddenly boost ahead, hearing the faint sound of some jet engines (given the world around here, the propulsion from the engines looked more like a bunch of small blue magic circles or something). Being caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed, I found myself screaming in slight panic as I flew onwards.

And that's how the first aerial battle I got into after getting my magic back ended up starting: me accelerating right for a flying biplane.

Well...life's back to normal for the most part...

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**...And that's the end of the next chapter. Coming up next is the second-to-last chapter in this entry, which will include the long-awaited battle climax. Will the Strike Witches be able to stop this invasion with the return of Roland and Yoshika? Can Roland fight to his best ability despite being without magic for two months? What will the world think about the return of the Neuroi Witch, a man whose fate they had been debating about? These questions will be resolved in the final chapter before the epilogue, so stay tune!d**

**...Alright, attempts at being a dramatic announcer aside, there is something I wanted to add: firstly, the poll from last week is still open, having taken a while after the last update here (which was when I put it up) to become available, so if you wanted to vote on it you can still do so. I might extend it by another week to make it up to anyone who checked right after I updated this story, but I will let you know my decision in the next update.**

**Also, and this is more of an announcement: I will be making this final battle the best I can ever make it. The reason why is a bit strange, but I feel like explaining it: a few days ago, the creator of the web series **_RWBY_**, Monty Oum, passed away. Strange as it might be that I'm mentioning this in a fanfic in the **_Strike Witches _**universe, I do feel that the man deserves to be remembered for what he's done, especially as I had first discovered the series a while before the second volume came out and had watched both volumes during my time away from writing. It's a bit odd for me to do something like this, but I'm one of the people who watched the series, so while I haven't done any stories for that series I do want to show my appreciation for his work. I am not alone, though: the person who inspired me to make this decision is the same person whose work inspired Project GS (check the info for the project in my profile for the author name), so when you get a chance check out his work. While it would help to have watched at least the first volume of **_RWBY_**, it seems to be written in a way that uses its material as a basis. Of course, that's my opinion, but no matter.**

**Other than that, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the second-to-last chapter.**


	10. Wings of Freedom

**Hello, and welcome to the second-to-last chapter of **_Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom_**. **

**Now, before we get going on the final fight scene for this entry in Roland's saga, let's spend time replying to the reviews so far:**

_Karl the Artillery Piece_**: Given Roland's luck, even the tensest moments seem to break down into something that leaves him feeling made a fool of afterwards. As for the other half of the review, I think that if Roland was here (assuming that you're referring to a certain group of characters that I'm thinking you are) then he'd get a bad feeling about his "sanity's" future. Other than that, thanks for the review, and feel free to send me your idea (same for everyone else; while I won't always be able to use them, it'd be good for me to have something to think over as I'm writing/typing).**

_Takashi2019_**: There, there. *pats back* It's not the end of the entire series yet. Given that it's been a rollercoaster of a journey for Roland (and perhaps the people he affected), it might be a little too much. But don't worry: there's still the other stories featuring him (well, okay, maybe more like one currently; Project Origins isn't out "yet", I have a plan for when that will come out; Project GS won't be using the Roland used here in his entirety; however, there is** **still **_Strike Heroes: Himebana _**to enjoy once I get around to another update). Other than that, thanks for the review and I hope you stay until the end.**

_Gamerman22_**: A morale boost would seem like the best thing to come out of Roland coming back on the scene, and as for speaking to familiars...I've got a feeling that I'll enjoy utilizing that while proceeding with a sequel (I'm interested in thinking of ideas to use concerning Kuji based on the profile I read on him, even if short. Plus, I'm considering a way to have Lionelis talk to the others. A thousand points to anyone who has an idea what possibility I'd use, but recall that the points are useless). Apart from that, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this coming chapter.**

_GeneralAshton_**: Glad to see that you can't wait (been a while since I thought of that song). As for the other half, you really do learn something new every day. Other than that, thanks for the review and enjoy.**

_Jetfire77 (via PM)_**: Thanks for the review. Like any good work, this one has to end somewhere, but fear not: it's not the end of the entire story for Roland. Especially given he's only reached the halfway point.**

**Alright, with that done, I have something extra to add: since last chapter I said that I was making this a tribute to Monty Oum, I still intend to do just that. For the man who brought us epic fights and a world of Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Grimm to life. This next chapter is to you, sir.**

**Now, with that said, let's start this final "normal" chapter!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 10: Wings of Freedom**

_Roland's POV_

"Look out!" I shouted into the radio as I zipped through the air, aiming for Mio's plane. "Air Roland coming through!"

"Roland?!" I heard Minna's voice ask in surprise. "Since when did you get faster?"

"No time to explain!" Jeez, Lio: I'm barely learning how to fly again. You didn't need to have me kick off the training wings so early!

_**...Training wings?**_ said core asked.

_Shut up, Lio!_ I added. _Trying to focus here!_ "Mio, raise up the Barrier Bracelet over your head. I'll come by and grab it!"

"Way ahead of you," Mio replied as I watched as she instead chucked the item into the air. "Catch!"

I altered my flight path upward as I watched two Witches fly under me (I think they were Lynette and Perrine) and, reaching my left hand out to grab it, caught it before I willed myself back to Normal Mode-

_**Prop Mode. Makes more sense, you know? Jet Mode, Prop Mode?**_

...Whatever floats your boat, Lio...my narrative, though...

Anyways, I willed myself back to _Prop Mode_ and, hanging Shizuka's gun on my left shoulder, slipped the Barrier Bracelet over my right wrist, clicking it into place.

"There we go," I said as I looked at the battle. I then watched as the Witches who flew ahead cast some spells (what looked to be Erica's Sturm and Perrine's Tonnerre; also, I'm going to have to retract my earlier statement about it being Lynette and Perrine...or at least half of it...), which seemed to fuse into a sideways tornado that was coursing with blue electricity.

I better get into the thick of it as well or else these girls (and Draco) are really going to show me up in badassery.

I activated Jet Mode once more and zipped towards the battlefield, using my aura sensing to track where everyone was. Charlotte had grabbed a hold of Francesca and Lynette and was charging ahead, her passengers shooting the Neuroi they passed. Eila and Sanya followed close behind, picking off any Neuroi they could. Mio was making her way towards Yoshika's position, and Minna, Gertrud, and some other Witch (I can't tell who it is right now) were busy adding their own flurry of bullets into the mix.

Readying Shizuka's gun, I aimed down the sights and started firing, hitting a few Neuroi along the way.

"_The Neuroi Witch has entered the battle,_" I heard a Neuroi say. "_Make sure he doesn't survive this battle. Our future depends on it!_"

Oh, no you don't!

"I'm gunning right for you bastards!" I shouted as I saw a few Neuroi get behind me. "Nothing will stop me from protecting my friends and this planet! Not again!"

"_Overblast!_"

I felt a wave of heat zip behind me, and when I turned my head to look while switching to Prop Mode, there were no more Neuroi chasing me. There was a familiar male Witch flying right towards me from behind. "Draco?"

"Long time, no see, sir," Draco greeted me as he flew on my right side. "It's good to see you back in a Striker Unit. And in the air."

"Thanks, Draco." I looked ahead at the ongoing battle. "Shirley and Fran treating you well?"

"Yes, sir. As usual. Helps that I'm best friends with Shirley, though."

I frowned slightly. "That's good to hear. You've at least stayed by your friends..."

"True, but you've done way more than me, sir. You and Pilot Officer Miyafuji both. Without you two, we'd just be a bunch of Witches trying to keep the team together. So don't you think for a second that you've abandoned us, sir. You'll never abandon us, you hear?"

"Thanks, Draco." I smiled slightly to cancel the frown. "Let's kick some Neuroi ass, alright?" I then grinned widely. "That's an order, sergeant!"

"Aye-aye, Captain Sage!" He then split away from me to engage some Neuroi, using his BAR to shoot his way through the masses while throwing some well-aimed Overblast spells into the mix.

Let's see...I can't just go for the carrier-looking one yet until the airspace is cleared. How to best clear it...

Aha!

I slung Shizuka's gun on my back and crossed both arms ahead of me, coming to a full stop in the air and just floating there.

_**The harmony of two souls...** _Lionelis started musing. _**The destructive nature of both races, yet tempered by the hopes and dreams of both. It's a sight that few get to use and fewer get to master. Our energies become intertwined as we share each other's fate. Let it be known from this day forth that we are no longer divided...we are Neuroi **_**and**_** human! We are one!**_

"Neuroi Mode..." I chanted as I felt myself powering up to access the core within me. "_ACTIVATE!_" I threw my arms to my sides, glancing and catching a view of the red lines on my arms as I looked at the battle before me. "Looks like it's time for a little payback..." I looked at my Striker Unit and noticed that it was no longer open, like it usually was when I entered this form. There were some red lines running across the surface of the device, though.

**_In hindsight, we're amazed that the aerodynamics didn't affect your performance using the last model,_ **Lionelis added. _**Now this looks better! And the red lines look like they really add a touch of letting your enemies know who you are.**_

...I'll just chalk the past design as "it worked, didn't it?" and leave it at that...

I zoomed ahead and saw a few more Neuroi charging right for me.

"_Not today, Neuroi!_" I yelled in Neuroispeak as I summoned the wrist blade on my right arm and sliced through them as I flew past. I then flew under a more gigantic Neuroi from underneath as I ran the wrist blade through its armor from underneath. I think I struck the core because once I stopped and flew away, it exploded into a dust of white particles. I then saw more coming for me, but luckily Minna, Gertrud, and the unfamiliar Witch shot them down as they flew past me. I did manage to get a better look at the mystery Witch: she had white hair (I think it was white), looked to be wearing the Karlsland uniform, and had the magic antennae I've seen Sanya displaying. "Thanks for the assist, ladies." I gave off a salute with my left hand.

"You're welcome, Roland," Minna told me.

"That's Captain Sage?" a voice asked. I could only assume it was the Witch I couldn't identify saying that.

"Yes. That's my boyfriend, Major Heidemarie."

"I look a lot better without the red lines and the glowing red eyes, I know," I joked before looking behind me and throwing up a red barrier to protect myself from a few lasers fired by two ambushing Neuroi. I then saw a few rockets plow into them, keeping my defenses up to keep from feeling the shrapnel. "Hey, Sanya. Eila."

"You've really gotten yourself into a mess, huh?" Eila asked as she and Sanya floated near me, the Suomos Witch busy reloading. "Neuori going to fire from in front of me."

"On it." I flew in front of Eila and blocked a laser. I soon lowered my barrier and watched as Eila shot it down.

"Don't recall you using an MG-42, though..."

"Beggars can't be choosers, right? Besides, it's not exactly my gun."

"Who does it belong to, then?"

"Our escort for the last month."

"Ah. Laser from Sanya's direction."

"I've got it," Sanya replied as I turned and watched her put up her barrier to stop a laser herself. "We'll keep an eye on you, alright, Roland-kun?"

"Right," I told her with a nod. "You two focus on the main battle first." I then spotted Yoshika's figure getting into a Striker Unit. "I've got to get to Yoshika."

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will."

"Oh, and Roland-kun? Welcome back. It's so good to see you again."

"Same here, San. Same here."

XXXXXXXXXX

_Yoshika's POV_

It took a while after I watched Roland fly off to retrieve his Barrier Bracelet from Major Sakamoto before the major managed to release a strange capsule that seemed to carry something heavy from the bottom of her biplane, and in that timeframe I had found Roland's sword, his crowbar, and his backpack. I had his backpack on my back, and while it felt a little heavy I knew that I had to carry it as long as I could so I can give it back to him. As for his weapons, I had his crowbar in my left hand and the strap of his sword's scabbard in my right hand. I then watched as the capsule sailed down to the ground before it pierced said ground and stayed there, opening up to reveal the Striker Unit I had last used.

"The _Shinden_!" I shouted in surprise as I ran up to it and stopped. I gingerly placed my right hand on the one for my left leg as I remembered the last time I had flown it as well as the first time I had used it. "You and I have been through a lot in the short amount of time we've worked together, huh?" I then looked at the sky and watched all the members fighting the Neuroi overhead, all my friends... "My friends are up there, giving their all. Even Roland-kun...he's entered Neuroi Mode to help out..." I took my hand off the Striker Unit and, kicking off my shoes, walked behind the machine and, climbing up onto the top of the Launch Unit, stuck my legs in, feeling the comforting embrace of the pocket dimension as my familiar's ears and tail formed once more. "So please...lend me your power..." I then powered on the _Shinden_, feeling the magic engine kick to life before I looked at the Neuroi above me. "I will protect everyone! That's why I won't ever give up!"

Revving the magic engine as hard as I could humanly make it go, I leaned forward and took off.

From being a girl who refused to touch a gun when she first joined the Strike Witches to being one who's been through too much to just let her friends handle the dangers by themselves...

I'll do just like Roland does: I'll keep fighting for what I believe in and never look back! That's a promise!

XXXXXXXXXX

_Roland's POV_

I flew downward and started flying towards the little Fuso Witch as she flew towards us, watching as Lynette was approaching her as well.

"Yoshika!" the Britannian Witch called out.

"Lynne!" Yoshika replied as she flew towards us. I could see that she had managed to locate my supplies, my backpack resting on her back as she held my crowbar in her left hand and my sword's scabbard (by the strap) in her right hand.

Ah, another reunion for the two girls...

I then watched as a bunch of Neuroi got behind Yoshika and started charging up for some attacks.

No way am I going to let you Neuroi shoot her down! Not after what we've gone through to survive!

"Oh..." I started as I shot my hands ahead of me, charging up for my own attacks. "No...you...don't!" I fired my own set of lasers into the group, moving my arms to imitate a slashing effect (like how they move their lasers to cut a path through the ground or the air), taking out some of them and disrupting their plan.

"Dream on!" Perrine added as she shot at the stragglers, finishing the rest off.

I then watched as Yoshika and Lynette grabbed each other's hands and spun around a bit before floating still as they looked cheerful.

I came to a stop next to the duo and floated there.

"Welcome back, Yoshika and Roland!" Lynette told us.

"We're here now, Lynne," I replied as I powered off Neuroi Mode for the moment, feeling my body act like usual. "Magic, Striker Units, and all."

"How can you two fly anyways?" Erica asked as she, Gertrud, Perrine, Charlotte, Francesca, and Draco flew over to our position.

"I thought you two lost your magic!" Charlotte added.

"Erm...determination?" I tried as I took my crowbar and sword from the little Fuso Witch, setting the crowbar behind the small of my back and, handing Yoshika the gun for the moment, placing the sword on my back and fitting the strap over my right shoulder and across my chest. I really am at a loss as well right now.

"I heard you guys calling out to me, and I felt my heart warming up," Yoshika tried herself as she took off my backpack and handed it to me. "I felt the urge to come to you. Plus, Roland-kun was dying because of me...even though he chose to take this path himself."

"Miyafuji," Gertrud said as we looked at her. She was smiling. A rather weird sight for me now that I think about it. "You want to protect people, don't you?" She then held out one of her guns in front of her using her left hand, placing it in Yoshika's hands.

I then watched as the little Fuso Witch nodded her head quickly. "_Hai!_" I then think she remembered something. "Oh right! Shizuka!"

"Where is she, anyways?" I asked as I slipped the backpack on top of my sword, taking care not to poke a hole in it with the point of the scabbard. I only know that she was up above, and I learned that from Kuji and Lionelis. But where is she now? Is she on the ground somewhere?

"Don't worry, Yoshika and Roland-kun!" I heard Sanya say through the radio.

We looked around a bit before Eila added, "Over here, above you!"

We looked above us and saw Mio's biplane flying overhead, Eila and Sanya trailing to the side of it. We looked very closely and found Shizuka holding on to one of the plane's wings' supports.

"Pilot Officer Miyafuji..." the Fuso sergeant said through the radio. "Captain Sage..."

"Shizuka..." Yoshika said as she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

I heard Mio laugh before she said, "I knew it! Miyafuji, Sage, the sky is where you two belong! This is where you two were meant to be!"

"Sakamoto..."

"Mio..." I added as I looked up and saw Minna and the Witch she referred to as "Heidemarie" fly towards us, coming to a stop in front of us.

"Wing Commander Minna!"

"Minna..." I then watched as Minna placed her gun on her back and floated over to me. "I'm back, like I promised you..." I then gave off a frown.

"It's really good to see you again, Roland," Minna told me before she gave me a hug. "It's been really lonely without you near me."

"Minna...I didn't realize that when I made my choice...I'm sorry if I made you ache or something while I was gone. I never should have gone into hiding...all it's been for the last few days was one thing leading to another and-"

"Shut up, Roland." Minna tightened her hug as she pulled up a bit and planted her lips on mine. Out of some sort of instinct, I rested my hands on her shoulders and closed my eyes.

As we stayed there with our lips locked, I felt my green aura wash over us before we left it, the aura retreating afterward. I then opened my eyes and looked at my girlfriend. "Minna?"

"Don't you ever think that you've made a bad choice in choosing learning answers over being with me. I don't care that you left me anymore...all I care about is that we're together again."

I smiled. "Okay, Minna...if you don't want to worry about it, then I won't either."

Minna then let go of me and said, "We've been waiting for you two anyways. Miyafuji, Roland, you ready?"

"_Hai!_" Yoshika replied.

"_¡Sí!_" I added with a salute.

We then looked at the carrier-like Neuroi as it came out of the ground it had been in, taking to the air. It looked...actually, I'm not sure what to compare it to right now. Maybe the Scouts from the first _Starcraft_ or _StarCraft: Brood Wars_ (whichever one it was in first)?

"It's huge!" Francesca called out.

"So that's the enemy flagship?" Charlotte added.

"Heh," I replied with a grin. "That's going to be no trouble at all for us." _Lio, how much energy do I have left?_

**_We're recharging the energy you used for Neuroi Mode,_** the core told me. _**We think there's enough for you to go back into Neuroi Mode for the moment.**_

_Alright...but I'm not going to be in the usual stage._

**_...What?_**

_I doubt I'm going to do much against that thing using the first stage of Neuroi Mode, so..._

**_Wait, you actually _want_ to enter the second stage of it? Realize that you're going to damage your body more. Plus, you barely got your magic back!_**

_I know, but I can't pull any punches right now. While it might hurt me later...we need to hit that thing with all we've got!_

**_*sigh* Alright...but don't say we didn't warn you. Enter Neuroi Mode and we'll upgrade you from there._**

_Thanks, Lio..._

**_Don't thank us until this guy's history. Just in case._**

"Stand back," I told the others as I flew ahead a bit, flying past Minna, who grabbed my right shoulder and made me stop.

"You're not going in alone," my girlfriend told me. "Not again."

"I know that, Minna, but I can't just let you guys take this thing on at full potential and not do so myself." I then activated my glowing left eye.

Minna gasped. "You're not going to..."

I nodded my head with determination. "I know entering that stage is dangerous for my body, but if it means fighting to my full potential...I'll gladly fight the Neuroi with all I've got, especially to protect everyone here."

Minna nodded her head as she let go of me. "Alright, Roland. Be careful, though."

"I will." I resumed flying ahead as I heard Minna giving out orders. Something about Formation Illius. I don't know: I was busy trying to focus on my task.

Entering Neuroi Mode once more (complete with glowing red eyes and red lines on my body), I floated there as the carrier-type Neuroi turned to face us.

"_So you decide to actually try fighting us once more,_" the enemy said. "_Such a pity that you didn't die back then. At least we'll have the chance to rectify that..._"

"I wouldn't count on it," I told it. "You Neuroi keep forgetting one important thing about me: I decide what to do with my life. I know that I don't belong here, but that doesn't mean that I can't live here. We've all got hopes and dreams, and I'll be damned if I allow you and your kind to keep attacking innocent people and trying to exterminate us off our own planet, even if it's for the good of your kind. So let me reintroduce myself..." I felt more energy enter my body as I formed my red visor and the two omni-blade-like weapons over my hands. "My name is Roland Sage, captain in the Liberion Army, member of the Strike Witches, and known as the 'Neuroi Witch'. I'll give you a fight you'll never forget..." I then charged right at the Neuroi. "_...because you won't be around long enough **to remember it!**_"

I watched as a bunch of its minions started to circle around it as a sort of vertical ring before it started firing, me using my barrier to block them all. I then watched as a few of the smaller Neuroi flew away to engage me before they got blown away by my teammates. I flew underneath and started scraping my blades against the armor, hoping to hit the core. I then backed away to block a point-blank laser fired at me before going back into the fray.

Soon, a trio of shells fired by the Yamato hit the Neuroi from above, and I heard Minna point out the core's location.

"Let's finish this once and for all!" I shouted as I flew upwards and found Yoshika, who was busy weaving in and out of Neuroi lasers. I used my blades to slice up the enemies after her, and she then looked at me and gave off a nod before flying off towards Minna and the others, who were starting to make their way towards the core with some resistance.

"_You'll never win,_" the Neuroi told me. "_You'll never be able to live in peace as long as the Neuroi are around. You will die by our hands, whether you choose to accept it or not._"

"I defied my destiny before, now it's time to face yours." I could see the other girls and Draco flying towards the Neuroi, the remaining reinforcements trying to stop them. I watched as they used their barriers to defend themselves before I watched Yoshika fly ahead of them and use her barrier. Getting an idea, the others flew behind her and used their defenses to make a sort of spinning drill.

I see now...

I activated Jet Mode, flew towards them, and managed to slip in next to Yoshika, adding my shield to the mix. As a result, the drill turned red as my red aura intensified greatly.

"Roland-kun..." Yoshika started.

"Yoshika...we've gone a long way, huh?" I told her. "From being a pair of misfits that met by pure coincidence that day to being the metaphorical adhesive keeping the team together...I'm truly proud to have served alongside you all, especially you, Pilot Officer Yoshika Miyafuji."

Yoshika smiled as she looked at the Neuroi. "Same here, captain." She then put her determined look back on her face.

"Y_ou haven't been able to escape it,_" the core continued. "_You never will. Not even when your world comes crashing down around you will you be able to run away from your destiny. Your death is certain, so prepare for the final battle you'll ever fight._"

I gave off an irritated grin. I've had just about enough of this overgrown game die...

"Shut..." I began as we got dangerously close to the reinforcements.

"Your..." I pumped as much magic as I could ever put in it right towards the tip of the shield-drill.

"_Fucking..._" This is for everything you and your kind has ever done. This is for all the lives you bastards had taken and those you've hurt. This is for the childhoods you've torn away from these Witches. This is for what you did to Yoshika and Shizuka...and this is for what _you've done to **me!**_

"_**MOUTH**_**_!_**" I finished as we managed to block a bunch of lasers pointed right at us and plow through the reinforcements like they were nothing before we were encased in a red protective sheath.

We flew through the hole in the Neuroi's armor and burst out the other side, decimating the core as well as ripping a huge hole right through where it used to be.

As the Neuroi gave off a dying scream before it exploded, we dropped our shields and flew out of formation, me floating there.

Whew, that was...something...

I left Neuroi Mode completely and felt the exhaustion wash over me, threatening to consume me. I simply shrugged it off and floated there, using what little strength I had left to keep afloat as I watched Mio fly close to me. I grabbed on to the left wing's supports with my right hand for help.

"That was impressive, Sage," Mio told me as she flew the plane. "You actually managed to go into Neuroi Mode twice that time as well as have a new Striker Unit design. Though I'd have to mark you down a bit for wasting your magic like that." I then saw her make a slight smirk.

I smiled weakly as I retorted with, "It's nice to see you too, Major Sakamoto."

I then watched as Shizuka let go of the plane and fly up towards where the others were as they fanned outwards. Sighing, I forced myself to fly up there, though I really wanted to take a nap right now.

"Pilot Officer!" the Fuso sergeant cried out. "Pilot Officer Miyafuji!"

"Shizuka! Roland-kun!" Yoshika said as Shizuka soon caught her in a hug. "Shizuka, cut it with the 'Pilot Officer', okay?"

Shizuka looked at her before saying, close to tears herself, "Yes, Miyafuji!"

I flew past them and found Minna as she and the others were floating down towards the ground.

"Minna," I added as I flew over and gave my girlfriend a hug.

"Roland!" Minna replied, sounding surprised. "I'm glad you're not unconscious yet."

Yeah, I'm running on...I think it's adrenaline right now.

Soon, we came to a stop and floated there as I let go of Minna and grabbed her left hand with my right hand.

"Wing Commander Minna," Heidemarie said as she and the others came down to our level. "I just received notice that additional Neuroi are suspected to emerge near the Karlsland border."

Minna and I looked at each other before we turned to face the rest of the team.

"Did you all hear that?" Minna asked them. "A new threat has arisen. You know what our duty is. As of this moment, the Five Hundred and First Joint Fighter Wing, the Strike Witches, is reformed!"

"Roger!" the other girls and Draco replied.

Looking at me, Minna added, "And you, Roland?"

"I've got no choice," I told her. "The Neuroi are still around, and they're going to make a move again soon. I'd be a complete idiot to not come along. Besides, I think it's time the world knows that I'm still alive. Plus, I'll go wherever you go, Minna. To hell and back, I'm not leaving any of you girls again. Especially the girl I've spent close to two campaigns trying to be with."

Minna smiled. "Alright. We're returning to Saint Trond's. Let's move out!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**That was the final battle for this story, but it's not the end of the story yet...**

**Anyways, like I said before the chapter, this is a tribute to the man I mentioned in that section, so I hope I made this close to something he'd do. If not, feel free to let me know so I can summarily slap myself for failing.**

**Also, in other news: the polls will be open for another week just in case. Thinking about it, like I said, it took a while for it to show up, so most likely (not saying that it happened, so unless it did to someone, this is just an example) people weren't aware of it being up until I mentioned it in the last update. Still, feel free to vote if you haven't yet, but once I put up the epilogue I will be closing it and making my decision based on the votes, so be sure to make it soon if you plan to let you voice be heard.**

**And, of course, I think it's time to ask the traditional question (considering the series): what was your favorite moment? It can be one from this entry or any of the others (a line, a scene, or an arc), an entire story, or even something from **_Strike Heroes: Himebana _**(considering that there's only three chapters up at the moment, it might not work, but you're free to answer with something from that collection so far if you choose).**

**Apart from that, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this second-to-last chapter.**

**Thanks, and I will see you guys in the epilogue.**


End file.
